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EEV.  WILLIAM  S.  WHITE,  D.  D., 


And  His  Times. 


[1800—1873.] 


^n  ^utoblograpfig. 


EDITED  BY  HIS  SON, 

Eev.  h.  m.  white,  d.  d., 

PaSTOE  or  THE  LoTJDOUN-StREET  PkESBYTEBIAN  ChUBCH,  WiNCHESTEB,  ViBGlNTA. 


KICH:\rOND,   YA.: 

Pkesbyteeian  Co^nnxTEE  of  Publication. 
■18  9  1. 


COPYBIGHT,   1891, 
BY 

JAMES  K.  HAZEN,  Secretary  of  Publication. 


Fbtsted  by 
Whtttet  &  Sheppeesok. 

RiCHMONT*    Va, 

Electrotypee  by 
L.  Lewis, 

RiCHMOKD,  Va. 


PREFACE. 


OUR  father  wrote  a  memoir  of  liis  son  Hugli,  who 
fell  in  battle,  Angust  30, 1862 ;  and  we  undertake 
to  prepare  one  of  him.  These  are  two  proverbially 
difficult  tasks.  The  one  is  liable  to  error  through  ex- 
cessive complacency,  and  the  other  through  excessive 
reverence. 

His  was  the  more  difficult  task,  because  of  the  time 
and  circumstances.  His  eyes  were  yet  wet  with  tears ; 
the  gi-ass  had  not  grown  on  his  son's  grave ;  the  war, 
in  which  his  young  life  had  been  quenched,  was  still 
raging.  Yet  he  succeeded.  The  love  of  the  father 
does  not  color  the  thoughts  of  the  biographer.  There- 
fore we  are  encouraged  to  undertake  our  task,  yet  not 
without  misgiving. 

We  do  it  from  a  sense  of  duty.  During  his  last 
days,  after  he  had  been  laid  aside  from  regular  work, 
he  ^\Tote  out  some  "Notes"  on  his  life.  His  reason 
for  so  doing  is  thus  given  by  his  own  hands :  "  It  oc- 
curs to  me  that  a  portion  of  the  leisure  I  now  enjoy 
may  be  wisely  spent  in  recording,  for  the  good  of  my 
children,  and  especially  for  my  sons  who  are  ministers 
of  the  gospel,  a  few  of  the  incidents  of  my  earlier  min- 
isterial life.  It  may  throw  some  httle  light  upon  their 
paths,  and,  if  not  their's,  upon  those  of  my  grand- 

3 


4  Preface. 

sons,  many  of  whom,  I  trust,  are  to  be  heralds  of  the 
cross." 

The  fniii;  of  such  a  labor  of  love  cannot  be  allowed 
to  moulder  in  the  grave.  Our  hearts  would  never 
bear  it. 

Moreover,  we  believe  our  father  did  a  great  work  for 
God ;  that  he  was  a  man  for  his  time,  and  therefore  a 
man  for  all  times ;  and  that  the  study  of  the  life  of  such 
a  man  ^dll  do  good,  not  only  to  his  children,  but  to  all 
others. 

His  personal  acquaintance  with  many  of  the  most 
distinguished  men  of  his  time,  both  in  church  and  state ; 
his  active  participation  in  some  of  the  most  stirring 
events  of  the  church;  and  his  peculiarly  close  rela- 
tions to  the  most  prominent  institutions  of  learning, 
secular  and  religious,  in  our  commonwealth,  give  to 
his  memoir  a  historical  significance  of  singular  interest 
and  importance. 

He  was  partly  induced  to  write  by  the  urgent  en- 
treaty of  one  of  his  sons,  whose  cliief  object  was  to  get 
his  mind  employed  upon  daily  work,  and  thus  retard 
that  decay  of  mental  faculties  which  comes  on  so  rap- 
idly when  an  energetic  life  is  suddenly  exchanged  for 
one  of  inactivity.  The  work  grew  on  his  hands  until  it 
became  a  book,  which  filial  honesty  must  put  in  print. 

These  "Notes,"  together  with  other  papers,  were 
j^laced  in  the  hands  of  a  friend  and  ministerial  brother, 
who  had  known  him  long  and  intimately,  and  who  ex- 
pressed a  warm  desire  to  write  his  memoir;  but  this 
friend  was  prevented  by  insuperable  difficulties  from 
executing  his  cherished  purpose.  After  twelve  years 
the  papers  have  been  returned  to  our  hands,  and  at 


Preface.  5 

this  late  day  we  undertake  tlie  work,  under  many  dis- 
advantages. 

In  a  little  volume,  entitled  The  Old  Bachelor,  by  Mr. 
William  Wirt,  a  picture  is  strikingly  described.  Writ- 
ing of  tlie  influence  mothers  may  exert  over  their  chil- 
dren he  says :  "  I  cannot  better  explain  myself  than  by 
describing  a  picture  which  I  saw  some  years  ago,  in  the 
parlor  of  a  gentleman  with  whom  I  was  invited  to  dine. 
It  was  a  plate — a  colored  engraving,  executed  in  the 
highest  style  of  that  art — which  represents  a  mother  as 
reciting  to  her  son  the  martial  exploits  of  his  ancestors. 
The  mother  herself  had  not  lost  the  beauty  of  youth, 
and  was  an  elegant  and  noble  figure.  She  was  sitting 
in  a  large  arm-chair,  her  face  and  her  arm  extended 
aloft,  and  her  countenance  exalted  and  impassioned 
with  her  subject.  Her  little  boy,  a  fine-looking  fellow, 
apparently  about  fourteen  years  of  age,  was  kneeling 
before  her,  his  hands  clasped  in  her  lap,  and  stooping 
towards  her.  His  bright  eyes  were  fixed  upon  her, 
and  swimming  with  tears  of  admiration  and  rapture. 
Such,  said  I  to  myself,  is  the  impulse  which  a  mother 
can  give  to  the  opening  character  of  her  child;  and 
such  is  the  way  in  which  a  hero  may  be  formed."^ 

If  we  can  set  before  the  descendants  of  our  honored 
father  a  delineation  of  his  character  and  life  true  to 
nature,  though  without  any  of  "the  finish"  of  this 
prize  picture  of  Alfred  the  Great,  it  will  be  such  as  we 
desire  and  all  that  we  can  attain  unto. 

Believing  as  we  do,  that  when  the  materials  at  hand 
are  sufficient,  every  biography  should  be  an  autobio- 

'  This  picture  now  hangs  in  the  parlor  of  a  Virginia  gentleman — 
Frederick  Johnston,  Esq. ,  of  lioanoke  County. 


6  Peeface. 

graplij,  onr  i^art  iu  tliis  work  lias  been  mainly  to  re- 
produce liis  own  work  in  sncli  an  order  as  will  give  to 
it  xmitj.  A  man's  writings  delineate  himself  more  ac- 
curately than  he  can  be  delineated  by  another.  This 
self -revelation,  unconsciously  made  in  correspondence, 
diaries,  anecdotes  and  narrations,  is  the  true,  the  ex- 
press and  only  reliable  portrayal  of  personal  mind  and 
soul  that  can  be  made.  Through  it  we  can  see  the 
heart  beating,  the  blood  flowing,  and  the  wonder- 
working mind  performing  its  subtlest  and  most  vital 
functions. 

No  likeness  was  ever  taken  of  our  father  that  caught 
the  true  expression  of  his  countenance,  "\\nien  at  restj 
a  look  of  sternness  always  settled  upon  it,  that  melted 
away  as  soon  as  he  began  to  speak  in  public  or  con- 
verse in  private,  or  even  Avhen  reading.  Then  his 
large  browTi  eyes  would  glow  with  a  strong  light,  and 
his  warm  feehngs  spread  themselves  in  a  smile  of  ani- 
mated joy  over  his  large  and  strongly  marked  face. 
This  drew  to  him  strangers  wherever  he  went,  and 
made  him  friends  as  long  as  he  lived.  The  Hkeness 
prefixed  to  this  Memoir,  with  this  exception,  is  very 
good. 


CONTENTS. 


Page, 
CHAPTER   I. 

1800. 
Place  or  Bikth  axd  Ancestkt. 
Hanover  Cotinty,  Famous  in  tlie  Annals  of  Ctuircli  and  State. — 
Patrick  Henr3^^ — Henry  Clay. — Samuel  Davies. — First  Formal 
Movement  for  Keligious  Liberty. — Drs.  B.  M.  Smith,  Theo- 
dorick  Pryor,  and  W.  S.  Plnmer,  on  Dr.  White's  Life  and 
Work. — The  Residence  of  the  White  Family. — His  Ancestry,     13 

CHAPTER   11. 

1800-1822. 
Paternal  Grandmother. — Learning  the  Alphabet. — Washington- 
Henry  Academy.  —  "Parson  Hughs." — A  Leader  among  Boys. 
— His  Father. — His  Mother. — Various  Schoolmasters. — First 
Attempt  at  Teaching. — Enters  Hampden-Sidney  College. — 
Room-mates. — How  Awakened.— Wrestling  in  Prayer  in  the 
Woods. — (Eev.)  Daniel  A.  Penick. — Students'  Prayer  Meet- 
ing. — Received  into  the  College  Church 22 

CHAPTER  III. 

1820-1824. 
Teaching  in  his  Father's  Family. — A  Profitable  Prayer  Meeting. — 
Gilljert  Tennent  Snowden. — Death  of  his  Father. — Seeing  his 
Way  into  the  Ministry^ — Dr.  John  H.  Rice. — Mrs.  John  H. 
Rice. — Their  Home. — Anecdotes  about  Dr.  Rice. — Dr.  Rice's 
Death.  —Re-enters  College.  — How  he  Gets  through  College  .  _     32 

.CHAPTER   lY. 

1822-1827. 
Graduates. — Teaches  School  in  Farm ville.— Taken  imder  Care  of 
Presbytery. — Opening  of  Union  Theological  Seminary. — Stud- 
7 


8  Contents. 

ies  there  while  Teaching  in  Farmville. — Anecdote  of  Dr.  B.  H. 
Kice. — Licensed,  April  30,  1827. — Anecdote  of  Dr.  Eice;  or, 
How  to  Treat  Other  Denominations.  — Goes  as  Home  Mission- 
ary to  Nottoway. — Letter  of  Encouragement  from  Dr.  B.  H. 
Eice.  — Sketches  and  Anecdotes  of  the  Two  Kices,  and  of  Dr. 
William  S.  Keid .._ _ 43 

CHAPTER   y. 

1827-1832. 
SMoh  ^Church  Built. — Fruits  of  Five  Years' Work  in  Nottoway, 
Lunenburg,  Amelia  and  Dinwiddle.  — Jeter's  Bace-track.  — Dr. 
Eice's  Wise  Counsel  to  him  in  Despondency. — Baptists  and 
Methodists, — Marriage. — Generosity  of  Dr.  James  Jones. — 
Uncle  Jack,  "The  African  Preacher." — Anecdotes  of  him. — 
The  Dying  Lifidel. — Encomium  by  Dr.  Pry  or 54 

CHAPTER   yi. 

Pastoeal  Sketches. 
Infidelity  in  Prospect  of  Death. — '  *  Caught  with  Guile. " — Interested 
Hearers. — Anti-Presbyterianism  Cured.  —  "The  Devil  Threw 
him   Down  and  Tore  him.  "—Early  Conversion :    E.    F.    P. ; 
E.  W.  W.;  A.  E. ;  A.  H.  ;  E.  S. ;  A.\\.  B. 69 

CHAPTER   yiL 

1832-1836. 
Leaves  Nottoway  for  Scottsville,  Va.  — Mr.  (afterwards  Eev.  Dr. ) 
Peyton  Harrison  Builds  a  Parsonage  for  him  at  his  own 
Charges. — Eevival. — Eev.  Daniel  Baker. — Accepts  Agency  for 
American  Tract  Society. — Observations  on  his  Agency  and 
Similar  Enterprises  Auxiliary  to  the  Church 90 

CHAPTER  yill. 

1836-1838. 
His  Field  in  and  about  Charlottesville. — Abandons  South  Plains 
and  Bethel.— Eev.  Joseph  F.  Baxter  Called  to  them. — Con- 
fines his  Work  to  Charlottesville.  — Opens  a  School  for  Young 
Ladies.— The  School  a  Nursery  to  the  Church. — Declines  En- 
tertaining a  Call  to  a  Valley  Church 97 


Contents.  9 

CHAPTEE   IX. 

1836-1848. 
Universitj'  of  Virginia. — Mr.  Jefferson  Sees  his  Mistake. — Popular 
Demand  for  Religious  lustructiou. — Denominational  llotation 
in  the  Chaplaincy. — Himself  Chaplain  in  1840. — Health  Breaks 
down. — Professor  Davis  Shot  by  a  Student. — His  Death. — 
Funeral. — Note  on  the  Sermon,  by  Rev.  Dr.  Dabney.— New 
Era  in  the  Religious  History  of  the  University. — Anecdote 
about  Dr.  Speece. — Chaplain  a  Second  Time  (1844). — Rev. 
D.  B.  Ewing  Secured  as  Assistant. — Health  Fails  again. — The 
"  Aliquis  Controversy. " — List  of  his  Publications.  — Gov.  T.  W. 
Gilmer. — His  Tragical  Death. — Funeral. — Illustrative  Inci- 
dent.— A  Cause  of  the  Prevailing  Deism  in  Virginia. — Prof. 
W.  H.  McGiiffey. — Opposition  to  him  because  a  Minister  of 
the  Gospel. — Anecdote. — Review  of  Dr.  Cooper's  "Life  of 
Priestley,"  by  Dr.  John  H.  Rice. — Dr.  White's  Impress  on 
Charlottesville  and  Albemarle  County,  by  a  Member  of  the 
Methodist  Church 105 

CHAPTEE   X. 

1848-1861. 
Accepts  a  Call  to  Lexington,  Va.  —  "The  Skinner  War. " — Dr.  Skin- 
ner Suspended  from  the  Ministry  by  the  Presbytery. — Restored 
by  the  General  Assembly. — The  Pastoral  Relation:  his  State 
of  Mind  in  Dissolving  and  in  Forming  it.  — The  Lexington  Con- 
gregation— Major  (afterwards  the  renowned  General)  T.  J. 
Jackson. — John  B.  Lyle. — Anecdote  about  him, — Method  of 
Collections  for  the  Church. — Anecdote  about  General  T.  J. 
Jackson. — AModel  Deacon... 128 

CHAPTEE  XI. 

1848-1861. 
Pentecostal  Seasons.  —Special  Prayer  for  the  Approaching  Meet- 
ing of  Synod.  — Its  Fervor  an  Indication  of  Approaching  Re- 
vival, which  Occurred  ii>his  Absence, — Effects  of  the  Revival 
on  the  Church.  — Another  Revival,  extending  from  November, 
1853,  to  February,  1854.— Full  Account  of  another  in  1856,— 
Proposition  in  1857  to  Colonize.— The  Church  Building  En- 
larged,—Efforts  for  the  Colored  People,— Sabbath -school 
Founded  by  Gen.  T.  J.  Jackson  for  their  Benefit.  —Work  in 


10  Contents. 

behalf  of  Temperauce. — Anecdote  about  his  Preaching  against 
a  Military  Ball. — Home  Missionary  Work. — Stems  a  Torrent 
of  Indignant  Opposition  to  a  Public  Lecturer. — Rev.  W.  J. 
Baird,  D.  D. —His  Pulpit  Power 144 

CHAPTER   XII. 

1861-1865. 
A  ' '  Union  Man"  at  the  Secession  of  South  Carolina.  — What  Changed 
his  Mind  and  that  of  his  State. — Abolitionism  and  Secession- 
ism.  — List  of  those  in  his  Church  and  Congregation  who  Per- 
ished or  were  Disabled  for  Life  in  the  War.  — Depreciated  Cur- 
rency.—Peace  in  the  Midst  of  War. — Extract  from  a  Letter 
of  his  Son  who  Fell  in  Battle.  —False  Philanthropy  of  Aboli- 
tionists.— Their  Agency  in  bringing  on  the  War. — The  Nat. 
Turner  Insurrection. —John  Brown's  Diabolical  Scheme, — 
The  Southern  People  on  the  Defensive  for  Thirty  Years  prior 
to  the  War.  — Gen.  Hunter's  Euffiauism  in  Lexington.  —Shells, 
Burns  and  Sacks  the  Town.— Gen.  Averill's  Eaid :  a  Thorough 
Gentleman.— Chaj)lains  in  the  Northern  Army. — The  Gaiety 
among  the  People. — Sir  Walter  Scott's  Eeview  of  the  French 
Revolution.  —  "The  Lost  Cause." — Grace  Triumphs 167 

CHAPTER   XIII. 

1861-1865. 

The  Strife  before  the  War 20a 

CHAPTER    XIV. 

1866-1871. 
Health  Fails. — Offers  his  Resignation  to  the  Session;  Declined, 
and  an  Offer  of  Support  for  an  Assistant  Made,  provided  his 
Health  not  Restored  by  Rest. — Corresponds  for  Assistant. — 
Health  not  being  Restored,  Insists  on  Resigning. — Action  of 
the  Congregation. — Becomes  Principal  of  the  Ann  Smith  Acad- 
em3\ — Letter  to  Rev.  John  S.  Watt. — A  Touching  Sight. — The 
School  Succeeds. — Resigns. — Letter  of  the  Trustees  Accepting,  208 

CHAPTER  XV. 

1871-1873. 
Retreats  to  the  Home  of  his  Daughter,  Mrs.  Harriet  McCrum. — 
Serene  and  Cheerful  Old  Age. — How  he  Appeared  to  his  Breth- 


Contents.  11 

ren;  e.  g.,  Ivcv,  G.  W.  Leybnrn  find  Rev.  Dr.  "Wm.  S.  Plumer. 
His  Chief  Desire  in  Prosi)e^^t  of  Death. — Leads  his  Physician 
to  Christ. — Impressive  Interview  with  Judge  J.  W.  Brocken- 
rough. — Anecdote  of  his  Patriotism 220 

CHAPTEE   XVL 

MemokiaIj  Notices  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  "White. 
By  the  Session  of  the  Church. — Lines  by  Mrs.  M.  J.  Preston. — By 
the  S}Tiod  of  Virginia.  — The  Faculty  of  Washington  and  Lee 
University.  —  The  Central  Presbyterian. — Rev.  John  S.  Grasty, 
D.  D.— Rev.  Dr.  Balch.— Lines  by  Rev.  Dr.  J.  A.  Waddell.— 
Memorials  of  Mrs.  White.  — By  the  Session  of  the  Church  and 
Mrs.  Preston _ 235 

CHAPTEB  XVII. 

Letters  of  Condolence. 
From  Rev.  Dr.  Wm.  Brown ;  Rev.  Dr.  Wm.  S.  Plumer ;  Rev.  Dr. 
B.  M.   Smith;  Rev.   Dr.   R.  L.  Dabney;  Mrs.  Margaret  J. 
Preston 268 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Estimates  of  his  Character  by  Life-long  Friends :  Dr.  R.  L.  Dabney ; 

Dr.  T.  W.  Sydnor;  Dr.  Theodorick  Pryor 275 


Rev.  William  S.  White,  d.  d., 

AND    HIS    TIMES. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Place  op  Birth  and  Ancestry. 

1800. 

Hanoa-er  County,  Famous  in  the  Annaxs  of  Chuech  and  State. — 
Patrick  Henry. — Henry  Clay. — Samuel  Davies. — First  For-mal 
Movement  for  Keligious  Liberty. — Des.  B.  M.  Smith,  Theo- 
DORicK  Pryor,  and  W.  S.  Plumer  on  Dr.  White's  Life  and 
Work. — The  Residence  of  the  White  Family. — His  Ancestry. 
"  I  am  a  part  of  all  that  I  have  met." 

HANOVER  COUNTY  is  famous  in  the  annals  of  Virginia 
for  her  contribution  both  to  the  State  and  the  Church. 
Patrick  Heniy,  whose  eloquence  helped  to  inflame  the  popu- 
lar heart  with  patriotic  indignation  against  the  tyranny  of 
Great  Britain  and  bring  on  the  Revolution  of  1776,  was  bom 
and  brought  up  on  her  soil.  The  old  brick  court-house, 
built  A.  D.  1735,  in  which  his  voice  thundered  in  peals  that 
reverberated  through  the  land,  is  still  used  for  the  adminis- 
tration of  justice. 

In  "  the  slashes  of  Hanover  "  Hemy  Clay  was  born,  a  fact 
which  (he  was  wont  to  say  humorously)  all  but  himself  were 
ashamed  to  confess.  In  the  country  home  of  Mr.  J.  G.  Tins- 
ley  the  jDarlor-corner  is  still  pointed  out  in  which  the  great 
statesman  made  his  first  appearance,  when  a  blusliing  youth, 
shrinking  out  of  sight,  at  a  social  party.  He  was  then  em- 
ployed in  the  clerk's  office  in  Richmond,  and  the  i)arty  was 
in  the  home  of  the  clerk.     From  this  county  he  emigrated 

13 


14  Early  Presbytekianism. 

to  Kentucky  early  in  life,  accompanied  by  an  uncle  of  the 
subject  of  this  memoir. 

Among  the  distinguished  and  useful  men  in  the  Presby- 
terian Church  of  Virginia,  and  indeed  of  the  United  States, 
perhaps  none  will  be  remembered  longer  than  the  eloquent, 
laborious  and  devoted  Samuel  Davies.  Patrick  Henry  said 
of  him  that  "  he  was  the  greatest  orator  he  had  ever  heard."* 
His  influence  in  procuring  religious  toleration  in  Virginia 
was  unsm-passed.  He  met  and  nearly  overthrew  Attorney- 
General  Randolph  in  a  great  discussion  of  the  construction 
of  the  Act  of  Toleration,^  and  "  succeeded  in  procm'ing  from 
the  attorney-general  in  England  a  decision  that  the  Act  of 
Toleration  was  the  law  of  Vu'ginia,  and  the  consequent  Ucens- 
ing  of  the  dissenting  churches."'^  '"If  Francis  Makemie 
was  the  first  licensed  minister  of  the  Presbyterian  faith 
(1699),  Samuel  Davies  was  the  founder  of  the  church  in  Vir- 
ginia." *  For  when  Mr.  Davies  arrived  in  Virginia  (1748) 
there  was  not  a  single  organized  Presbyterian  church  any- 
where to  be  found  in  the  old,  settled  parts  of  the  State."* 
There  had  been  "  a  small  Presbyterian  congregation  on  the 
Ehzabeth  river,  near  where  Norfolk  now  stands,  over  which 
the  Eev.  Mr.  Mackey,  from  Ireland,  presided  as  their  minis- 
ter. But  soon  after  Makemie's  death  he  was  forced  to  fly 
from  intolerant  persecution,  and  we  hear  no  more  of  him  or 
his  congregation  afterwards."  ^ 

It  was  some  years  after  the  death  of  Makemie  before  a 
Presbyterian  church  was  organized  in  the  Old  Dominion.'' 
The  two  congregations  in  Accomack  count}^,  gathered  by 
Makemie,  were  extinguished  after  his  death  by  persecution 
at  the  hands  of  the  establishment.  He  had  been  called  the 
"  Father  of  Hanover  Presbytery,"  and  Hanover  Presb}i:ery 
is  the  mother  of  Presbyteries  in  the  South  and  West  of  the 

1  Cooke's  Virginia,  1883,  p.  338.         2  ^j^v/.  ^  /j/^^,         4  7^/^. 

^Davies'  Sermons,  Vol.  I.,  Robert  Carter  &  Bros.,  1857,  p.  xviii. 
*lbid.,  p.  xviii.  ^  Foote's  Sketches  of  Virginia,  Vol.  I.,  13.  98. 


Hanover  Presbytery.  15 

United  States.  Samuel  Davies  Avas  the  head  and  front  of  dis- 
sent in  Vii-ginia,  for,  as  he  declared,  there  Avere  not,  -^hen  he 
first  came,  "  ten  avoAved  dissenters  within  one  hundred  miles 
of  him. " '  The  combination  of  Quakers,  Baptists  and  Presby- 
terians to  i^rocure  religious  toleration  in  Virginia  was  initiated 
in  Hanover  county  by  the  Presbyterians.^  The  first  protest 
of  evangelical  Christianity  against  formaHsm,  in  the  shape 
of  a  public  document,  was  made  by  the  Presbyterians  of 
Hanover.  "The  noble  memorial  from  the  Presbj'tery  of 
Hanover,  which  may  j^et  be  seen  on  the  j^ellow  old  sheet  in 
the  Virginia  arcliives,  sums  up  the  whole  case  vnth.  admir- 
able eloquence  and  force.  It  is  trenchant  and  severe,  but 
that  was  natural.  It  is  the  great  protest  of  dissent  in  all 
the  years." ' 

This  venerable  document,  although  written  November  11, 
1774,  and  forwarded  at  that  time  b}"  the  Presbytery  of 
Hanover  to  the  Virginia  House  of  Burgesses,  lay  concealed 
in  the  archives  of  the  State  until  May  7,  1888,  when,  for  the 
first  time  it  seems,  it  was  put  into  print  by  Mr.  Wm.  "NVirt 
Henry,  in  the  columns  of  the  Central  Presbyterian,  in  Rich- 
mond, Va. 

From  this  document  it  appears  that  the  first  formal  move- 
ment for  religious  liberty  in  these  United  States,  which  is 
now  the  glory  of  our  land,  was  made  by  the  members  of  the 
Presbytery  of  Hanover.  It  is  also  evident  that  Mr.  Jeffer- 
son derived  his  ideas  on  this  subject,  as  Mr.  Henr}^  remarks, 
from  this  and  similar  documents  from  the  same  body,  writ- 
ten in  1776  and  1777,  which  he  incorporated  in  the  Bill  of 
Bights  of  Virginia,  by  which,  in  1799,  the  separation  between 
church  and  state  for  the  first  time  was  effected.  And  so  it 
is  proved  that  from  the  bosom  of  old  Hanover  Presb^-tery 
flashed  the  vis  vivida  by  which  the  established  church  was 
overthrown  and  a  way  opened  for  religious  liberty. 


J  Cooke's  Virginia,  1883,  p.  338.        « Ihid. ,  p.  339.        » IMd. ,  p.  392 


16  Estimate  of  Dr.  White's  Life. 

Two  large  Presbyteries  in  the  S;sTiod  of  Virginia  now  bear 
the  name  of  Hanover.  The  first  Presbyterian  church  in 
Tidewater  was  organized  in  a  private  house  in  this  county — 
that  of  John  Morris. '  The  historical  significance  of  the  es- 
tablishment of  reHgious  liberty  in  Virginia,  as  estimated  by 
Mr.  Jefferson,  may  be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  he  had  his 
authorship  of  the  bill,  by  which  it  was  granted,  inscribed 
upon  his  tombstone,  along  with  his  authorship  of  the  Decla- 
ration of  Indej)endence  and  his  foimding  the  University  of 
Virginia.  '  These  he  evidently  considered  the  broad  and 
lasting  foundations  of  his  fame.  While  his  credit  for  this 
immortal  document  is  not  to  be  abated  in  the  least,  yet  it  is 
not  extravagant  to  say  that  Mr.  Davies  exerted  a  more  pow- 
erful influence  than  Mr.  Jefferson  in  preparing  the  popular 
mind  for  its  enactment  as  law. 

These  facts  render  old  Hanover  county  the  classic  ground 
of  Virginia  Presbyterianism,  and,  may  we  not  add,  of  Ameri- 
can Presbyterianism  ? 

We  propose  to  write  of  another,  who  was  born  and  reared 
to  manhood  on  the  soil  of  Hanover,  one  for  whom  we  claim 
no  such  distinction  for  oratory  or  statesmanship  as  that  of 
those  just  mentioned,  yet  one  whose  life,  as  a  minister  of  the 
gospel,  was  fruitful  of  noble  results,  and  who,  by  the  con- 
centration of  all  his  powers  upon  a  full  and  determined  jdiu'- 
pose  to  do  what  he  could  for  his  race,  achieved  great  success, 
and  made  his  life  instructive  to  all  who  would  do  likewise. 
It  is  the  opinion  of  some  who  knew  his  life  thoroughly  that, 
in  his  loay,  he  did  a  work  not  unworthy  of  comparison  with 
that  of  any  of  them. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  B.  M.  Smith,  in  a  letter  giving  his  estimate 
of  the  life-work  of  Dr.  White,  written  for  pubHcation,  says : 
"Your  father  certainly  did  Ttiost  wonderfully  2^op>ularize 
Presbyterianism.     Dr.  John  H.  Rice  did  more,  in  a  different 

>  Cooke's  Virginia,  1883,  p.  336. 


The  Yirginl^ns.  17 

manner,  to  build  up  our  church,  but  your  father's  personal 
ministry  exceeded  in  success,  of  the  kind  indicated,  that  of 
any  man  I  knew." 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Theodorick  Pryor,  whose  acquaintance  Avith 
him  began  in  1823,  when  they  were  both  students  at  Hamp- 
den-Sidney  College,  who  succeeded  him  in  the  Nottoway 
Church,  and  who  knew  him  intimatety  from  that  time  until 
Ids  death,  writes:  "I  cannot  conceive  of  a  man  better  quaU- 
tied  to  do  good.  "Wherever  he  lived  and  labored,  his  work 
testified  to  his  worth.  ...  I  heartily  wash  the  church  were 
now  blessed  with  a  thousand  "William  S.  "Whites." 

The  Eev.  Dr.  "\\  m.  S.  Plumer,  who,  as  he  says,  "was 
much  with  him  for  forty-five  years,  and  saw  him  variously 
and  sorely  tried,"  writes  for  publication,  viz.  :  "  Such  a  man 
was  of  course  useful.  He  was  useful  in  the  joulpit,  in  the 
church  courts,  in  the  parlor,  in  the  sick  chamber,  at  the  mar- 
riage, in  the  house  of  mourning,  by  example,  by  precept,  by 
doctrine,  by  his  pen,  especially  in  his  excellent  letters,  and 
almost  in  every  way." 

Hanover  county,  and  those  adjacent  to  it,  were  settled  by 
an  intelligent  poi^ulation  of  Enghsh  descent,  who  maintained 
the  manners  and  customs  of  the  old  country.  High  li^ino- 
and  hospitality  were  universal.  Well-bred  gentlemen  set 
the  ke^'-note  of  good  manners ;  horse-racing,  fox-hunting, 
fish-fries,  bird-suppers,  and  whist-parties  brought  the  peo- 
ple together  and  promoted  good  fellowship.  The  old  "\^ir- 
ginia  gentleman  was  the  beau  ideal  in  the  mind  of  every 
aspiring  youth  of  that  day. 

Not  to  be  able  to  make  one's  self  agreeable  in  company  w^as 
an  unpardonable  defect  in  education.  The  young  j)eople 
were  not  set  to  work  or  drilled  in  business,  but  were  taught 
to  be  agreeable  at  home  and  in  com2:)any.  The  manual  labor 
was  joerformed  by  slaves,  whose  management  was  entrusted 
to  an  overseer.  This  led  to  much  wasteful  dissipation. 
Mr.  "\^liite's  ancestry  were  English,  and  Avent  to  the  extreme 
2 


18  His  Anc  estry. 

iu  pleasure  seeking.  His  father,  who  owned  Ellyson's  IMill, 
about  six  miles  east  of  Richmond,  which  gave  the  name  to 
one  of  the  great  hattles  of  "the  war  between  the  States," 
and  who  occuj^ied  the  dwelling  house  that  still  stands  on  tho 
hill  above  the  mill,  was  devoted  to  company.  AVe  have 
heard  him  say  that,  when  the  family  were  assembling  for 
dinner,  his  father  often  sent  him  to  the  mill  to  bring  up  to 
dine  with  them  any  neighbor  who  might  be  there.  In  this 
way  he  was  accustomed  to  company  from  childhood,  and 
this,  together  with  an  inherited  fondness  for  it,  made  him  a 
welcome  guest  through  life  in  houses  where  ministers  of  the 
gospel  w^ere  looked  upon  with  aversion. 

The  life  of  every  man,  no  less  than  that  of  every  plant 
and  animal,  is  the  product  of  the  combined  influence  of 
heredity  and  circumstances.  Inherited  tendencies,  uncon- 
scious impressions  from  men  and  things,  are  so  many 
taitional  influences,  or  "schools  and  schoolmasters,"  that 
determine  infallibly  and  within  the  scope  of  divine  sover- 
eignty the  character  and  life  of  us  all.  The  plastic  mind  of 
childhood,  inconceivably  more  plastic  than  the  body,  can 
never  throw  off  impressions  then  received.     We  may  all  say : 

"I  am  a  part  of  all  that  I  have  met, " 

especially  that  I  met  in  childhood.  The  history  of  no  man's 
life  can  be  written  without  relating  the  race  from  which  he 
sprung,  the  place  where  he  was  reared,  the  institutions,  the 
social  customs  and  educational  forces  which  moulded  his 
character  and  thus  singled  him  out  from  his  species,  indi- 
vidualizing him  for  all  time.  For  this  reason  emphasis  is 
laid  upon  the  foregoing  facts  as  the  directing  influences  of 
Mr.  AMiite's  life  in  his  youth.  We  shall  see,  as  we  watch  its 
unfoldings,  how  much  he  was  indebted  to  them  for  what  he 
came  to  be. 

On  the  Chickahominy  river,  east  of  Richmond,  is  a  his- 
toric spot  known  as  White  Oak  Swamp.     Here,  it  is  believed. 


Birthplace.  19 

Capt.  John  Smith  was  captured  by  the  Indians.  His  canoe 
grouudiug-  in  the  shallows,  he  attempted  to  escape  through 
the  swamp.  By  a  misstep  he  sank  into  the  marsh,  and  so 
fell  an  easy  prey  into  their  hands.  His  rescue  from  a  bloody 
death  by  Pocahontas  followed.' 

On  this  same  river,  about  six  miles  east  of  Bichmond,  is 
a  mound  of  earth,  unlike  that  of  the  swamp,  and  identical 
with  the  soil  on  the  adjacent  hills,  called  "  Sugar  Loaf  Island," 
about  an  acre  in  size,  which,  in  1855,  was  covered  with  white- 
oak,  beech  and  maple.  This  is  the  head  of  "canoe  navigation" 
on  the  river,  and,  agreeably  to  tradition,  was  the  spot  where 
Capt.  Smith  left  his  canoe  and  fled  on  foot  through  the 
swamp.  [Cooke  locates  the  spot  further  east  in  the  same 
swamp.] 

The  residence  of  the  White  family  for  many  generations, 
and  the  birth-place  of  W.  S.  White,  was  at  Beaver  Dam- 
an estate  about  a  half  of  a  mile  from  this  point,  and  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  from  Ellyson's  Mill  (then  called  EUerson's  Mill). 
This  is  the  tract  of  land  which,  he  says  in  his  "  Notes,"  is 
"  still  in  possession  of  a  branch  of  m}^  family,  and  has  be- 
longed to  it  ever  since  the  year  1680,  the  same  body  of  land 
belonging  to  the  same  family  for  one  huudred  and  eighty- 
four  years,  and  probably  longer.  It  lies  on  the  north  bank 
of  the  Chickahominy  river,  about  six  miles  fi'om  Richmond." 

Of  his  ancestry  Mr.  White  wa*ites  as  follows:  "My  father, 
William  White,  was  married  to  Mildred  Ellis  in  1799.  Both 
were  of  Hanover  county,  Va.  Both  w^ere  descendants  of  the 
earhest  settlers  of  that  county,  and  connected  with  the  Pres- 
byterian congregation  gathered  there  by  Bev.  Samuel  Davies. 
I  can  trace  my  paternal  ancestry  back  to  the  3'ear  1G80.  .  .  . 
My  own  birth  occurred  July  30,  1800.  I  was  the  eldest  of 
seven  children,  four  sons  and  three  daughters.  Two  of 
these  children  died  in  early  infancy.     The  remaining  five 


See  Cooke's  Virginia,  p.  34. 


20  Family. 

attained  to  maturity,  and  all  became  consistent  members  of 
the  cliurcli." 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  he  did  not  leave  more  informa- 
tion on  this  subject,  for  his  aj^tness  at  tracing  relationships 
was  remai-kable.  From  other  sources,  deemed  entirely  re- 
liable, we  have  gathered  the  following  additional  facts,  which 
will  be  of  interest  to  the  famil}^ : 

[The  grandfather  of  W.  S.  "NAliite  was  BaiTett  A\Tiite.  In 
a  family  Bible,  now  in  our  possession,  out  of  which  we  have 
heard  him  say  the  Eev.  Samuel  Davies  sometimes  jDreached, 
is  the  following  entry:  "Barrett  AMiite  departed  this  life 
February  18,  1782,  in  the  fifty-fifth  year  of  his  age.  His 
death  was  much  lamented  by  his  friends  and  neighbors,  be- 
ing a  good  neighbor,  a  tender  husband,  a  good  father,  and  a 
kind  master  to  his  slaves."  His  wife  was  named  Elizabeth. 
In  the  family  Bible  now  owned  by  Eev.  T.  W.  Sydnor,  D.D., 
a  first  cousin  of  W.  S.  White,  is  this  record:  "EHzabeth 
^\liite  departed  this  life  December  14,  1815,  in  the  eight}^- 
second  year  of  her  age."  "  She  was,  therefore,"  adds  T.  W. 
Sydnor,  D.  D.,  "  at  the  time  of  the  death  of  BaiTett  AVhite 
forty-nine  years  old,  and  he  fifty-five. 

"  The}^  left  three  sons,  viz.,  Phihp,  who  moved  to  Kentucky, 
and  from  whom  were  three  sons,  i.  e.,  Jefferson,  Joseph  M., 
and  Philip  S.,  all  men  of  note  in  their  day. 

"  Thomas,  who  lived  in  the  upper  end  of  Hanover  county, 
Va.,  near  Avhat  is  now  Ashland.  He  left  five  sons  and  four 
daughters,  viz.,  Joseph,  who  moved  to  Kentucky;  Clement; 
Larkin,  who  frequently  represented  his  county  in  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  of  Virginia ;  John  Preston,  Thomas  Mercer, 
Mrs.  Beasly,  Mrs.  Tinsley,  Mrs  Glaizebrook,  and  Mrs  Kim- 
borough. 

"  Wilham  White,  who  was  the  father  of  Wm.  S.  White,  had 
four  sons'  and  three  daughters,  viz.,  Wm.  S.,  Thomas  J., 
Philip  Barrett,  Harriet  E.,  who  married  James  McLaurin,  of 


Family.  21 

Powhatan  county,  Va.,  and  avIio  died  eirly;  and  Elizabeth, 
"who  neA  er  married.     Two  died  in  childhood. 

"Barrett  White  and  Elizabeth  also  had  three  daughters, 
Tiz ,  Mrs.  Penny,  Mrs.  Blackwell,  and  Mrs.  Sydnor.  Mrs. 
Penny  and  ISIrs.  Blackwell  moved  to  Kentucky  and  left  fam- 
ilies. ]Mrs.  Sydnt)r,  mother  of  Eev.  T.  W.  S^^dnor,  brought 
up  a  family  in  Hanover,  Va." 

Two  general  characteristics  of  these  different  branches  of 
the  family  are  noted  by  Dr.  Sydnor,  i.  e.,  "Fondness  for 
talking  and  pride  of  ancestry."  He  also  notes  the  following 
special  characteristics,  ^.  e.,  "Philip  "White's  sons  were  very 
talented  men,  fond  of  politics  and  the  highest  social  circles. 
Thomas  "White's  sons  Avere  men  of  pleasure,  fond  of  horse- 
racing  and  similar  sports.  Two  of  them,  Larkin  and  Mercer, 
late  in  life  became  exemplary  members  of  the  church.  Wil- 
liam White's  sons  and  daughters  all  in  early  life  became 
l^ious,  and  all  tJ^eir  sons  and  daughters,  as  far  as  I  know, 
are  pious." 

It  was  Philip  White,  uncle  of  W.  S.  White,  who  moved  to 
Kentucky,  I  think,  with  Henry  Clay.  Joseph  White,  who 
also  moved  to  Kentucky,  was  first  cousin  of  W.  S.  ^liite, 
and  the  o-dest  son  of  Gen.  Thomas  Wliite.  Thomas  White, 
who  moved  to  Missouii,  was  brother  of  W.  S.  W^hite.  Joseph 
M.  White,  son  of  Philip  White,  who  went  to  Kentucky', 
represented  Florida  many  years  in  Congress  when  Florida 
•was  a  teiTitoiy.  Philip  S.  White,  a  famous  temperance  lec- 
turer, was  his  brother.] 


CHAPTER  11. 

1800-1822. 

Patekx.\i,  Grandmother. — Learning  the  Alphabet. — Washington- 
Henry  Academy.  —  "Parson  Hughs." — A  Leader  among  Boys. — 
His  Father. — His  Mother  — Various  Schoolmasters. —First 
Attempt  at  Teaching. — Enters  Hampden-Sidney  College. — 
,Koom-mates. — How  Awakened. — Wrestling  in  Prayer  in  the 
Woods. — (Rev.)  Daniel  A.  Penick. — Students'  Prayer  Meet- 
ing. — liECErVED  INTO  THE  COLLEGE  ChURCH. 

"  I  will  arise  and  go  to  my  Father." 

IN  the  "Notes"  referred  to,  Dr.  White  writes  as  follows: 
"  I  was  carefully  trained  from  an  early  age  to  read  the 
word  of  God.  This  training  I  received  chiefly  from  my  pa- 
ternal grandmother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Starke.  She 
was  a  woman  of  vigorous  intellect,  and  eminently  pious.  She 
died  in  great  peace  when  I  was  in  the  sixteenth  year  of  my 
age. 

"I  have  always  believed  that  her  bright  example  and 
faithful  instructions  did  more  to  lay  the  foundation  of  my 
character  and  life  than  all  other  instrumentahties  combined. 
She  taught  me  to  read,  using  a  large  family  Bible,  which  I 
still  own,  for  this  pui-pose.  Her  plan  was  to  turn  the  leaves 
of  this  Bible  and  teach  me  the  large  letters  at  the  beginning 
of  the  chapters.  Thus  the  Bible  was  my  "first  book,"  my 
07il7/  primer,  spelling  and  reading  book.  From  two  to  eight 
years  of  a^e  I  slept  in  her  room.  At  a  period  further  back 
than  I  can  recollect  she  taught  me  a  form  of  prayer,  and  so 
impressed  my  mind  with  the  solemnity  of  the  act  that  it 
abode  with  me  to  manhood. 

"At  nine  years  of  age  I  was  sent  to  Washington-Henry 

22 


Washington-Henry  Academy.  23 

Academy,  an  institution  established  cotemporaneously  with 
Pole  Green  Church,  in  Hanover,  imder  the  auspices  of  the 
Eev.  Samuel  Davies.  This  school  had,  at  that  time,  been 
in  operation  half  a  century,  and  was  still  prosperous.  The 
principal  was  the  Rev.  Mr.  Hughs,  and  his  assistant  was 
Mr.  Bowling  Starke,  tirst  cousin  to  my  father.  Mr.  Hughs 
was  an  Episcopal  minister,  rather  of  the  colonial  stamp, 
who  dressed  neatly  and  in  the  fashion  of  that  day,  w'earing 
a  coat  with  very  broad  skirts  and  enormous  pockets,  vest 
with  flaps,  small  clothes,  snow-white  stockings,  large  knee 
and  shoe  buckles  of  pure  silver,  and  a  white  flowing  ^vig. 
Every  day  at  noon  the  boys  were  assembled  for  prayers, 
when  a  portion  of  the  Psalter  and  a,  prayer  v.  ere  read ;  this, 
too,  in  an  academy  that  had  been  planned,  endowed  and 
built  by  Presbyterians  ! 

"  At  this  time  neither  my  father  nor  mother  was  a  pro- 
fessor of  religion.  The  former  was  emphatically  a  man  of 
the  world.  Possessing  at  the  time  of  his  marriage  a  very 
ample  patrimony  with  which  to  commence  life,  being  emi- 
nently social  in  his  tastes  and  habits,  possessing  a  warm 
and  gonerous  heart,  having  around  him  several  young  friends 
hke  himself,  newly  married,  but,  unhke  himself,  possessed 
of  large  fortunes,  he  was  easily  drawn  into  a  style  of  living 
to  which  his  own  inheritance  was  not  adequate.  With  these 
friends  he  took  extensive  journeys,  to  them  he  gave  expen- 
sive dinners,  adopting  a  style  of  life  unfavorable  both  to  his 
spiritual  and  temporal  interests.  He  died  when  forty-seven 
years  old,  leaving  his  five  children  about  as  much  property 
as  he  had  inherited  from  his  father.  Although  he  never 
made  a  profession  of  religion,  we  were  not  without  hope  in 
his  death. 

"  Shortly  before  his  death  my  mother  was  received  into 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  for  about  thirty  years  led  the 
life  of  an  exemplary  Christian.  She  survived  my  father 
twenty-five  years." 


24  DETERiVnNATION  TO  ObTAIN  AN  EDUCATION. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Sydnor,  of  Nottoway,  Va.,  who  knew  Mrs. 
AMiite  well,  says :  "  Her  fuueral  sermon  w^as  preached  hy 
Dr.  W.  S.  Plumer,  in  Richmond,  Va.,  on  the  text,  'Well 
done,  thou  good  and  faithful  servant ;  thou  hast  been  faith- 
ful over  a  few  things,  I  vrill  make  thee  ruler  over  many 
things  ;  enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord.'  Her  character 
was  beautifully  portrayed,  but  by  no  means  overdrawn.  She 
was  an  eminently  godly  vToman,  uniformly  cheerful,  never 
very  much  cast  down,  and  of  a  remarkably  affectionate 
spirit." 

Dr.  Plumer  writes  as  follows :  "  One  of  the  most  promi- 
nent features  of  Dr.  White's  character  was  strong  common 
sense.  He  came  by  this  lawfully.  It  was  the  prominent 
trait  of  his  mother's  mind,  whom  I  knew  very  well.  His 
good  sense  seemed  never  to  fail  him.  It  was  as  marked  in 
Ms  sermons  as  in  his  daily  intercourse  with  men." 

Wlien  Dr.  White  was  a  mere  boy,  his  first  cousin,  then  a 
matured  man — the  Hon.  Joseph  M.  White,  member  of  Con- 
gress from  Florida — visited  Beaver  Dam,  the  home  of  Wm. 
White,  and,  being  impressed  with  the  boy's  mind  and  man- 
ners, said  to  him  :  "  Don't  vegetate  here  on  the  Chicka- 
hominy.  Resolve  to  be  something  "  This  remark,  enforced 
by  the  brilliant  career  of  his  cousin,  proved  to  be  a  nail 
fastened  in  a  sure  place.  From  that  hour  his  purpose  was 
formed  to  obtain  an  education. 

His  father  was  the  more  ready  to  help  him  because  of  a 
lameness  in  one  limb  which  could  never  be  removed,  because 
of  which  he  always  introduced  him  to  visiting  friends  as  his 
*' unfortunate  child."  Notwithstanding  this  physical  defect, 
such  was  the  energy  of  his  spirit  that  he  was  very  fond  of 
field  sjoorts  of  all  kinds,  and,  "to  the  sui'prise  of  everj^body, 
could  outswini,  outride,  and  outclimb  any  boy  in  the  neighbor- 
hood." 

About  this  time,  as  we  have  seen,  when  in  his  ninth  year, 
he  was  sent  off  to  school.     But  difficulties  of  one  sort  and 


College  Days.  25 

fiUDthcr  renderocl  his  efforts  almost  abortive.  He  was  sent 
to  three  different  schools,  viz.,  Washington  and  Henry,  one 
in  the  slashes  of  Hanover,  near  the  birth-place  of  Henry 
Clay,  and  the  third  in  Manchester,  Va.,  taught  by  the  Rev. 
John  Ivirkpatrick. 

At  eighteen  years  of  age,  being  without  money,  he  deter- 
mined to  teach  school  and  earn  it.  "Accordingl}^"  he  writes, 
"  a  log  building  was  erected,  with  an  earthen  floor,  in  a  dense 
grove,  near  the  nxid  leading  from  Richmond  to  Hanover 
court-house,  about  eight  miles  from  the  former  place.  Here 
I  made  my  first  effort  as  a  teacher  of  youth.  I  was  liberally 
patronized,  did  my  best,  and  made  money  enough  in  one 
year  to  defray  my  expenses  at  college  a  year-and  a  half. 

"In  January,  1819,  in  my  nineteenth  year,  I  w^ent  to  Hamp- 
den-Sidney  College,  introduced  to  Dr.  Moses  Hoge,  then 
the  president,  by  my  very  kind  friend,  the  Rev.  John  Kirk- 
patrick.  This  letter  drew  their  attention  to  me  strongly, 
and  enlisted  them  warmly  in  my  favor.  Indeed,  he  had 
written  to  them  before  I  went  that  I  had  some  good  quah- 
ties;  learned  readily,  but  was  not  very  studious;  was  ex- 
tremely social  and  much  influenced  by  company. 

"He  therefore  begged  that  I  might  be  placed,  if  possible, 
m  a  room  with  sedate  and  pious  students.  Ignorant  of  all 
this,  which  I  afterwards  learned  from  Mrs.  Hoge,  I  was 
much  surj)rised  to  be  told,  almost  as  soon  as  I  reached  Dr. 
Hoge  s  parlor,  that  my  room,  furniture,  and  other  thingss 
were  all  ready  for  me. 

"AYhen  I  entered  the  room  and  saw  that  my  room-mates 
were  two  of  the  plainest  looking  men,  each  nearly  thirty 
years  old,  grave-looking,  coarsely  dressed,  and  that  the  fui'- 
niture  was  rude  and  scant,  my  heart  sank  in  me  like  lead  in 
the  waters.  '  This,'  I  said  to  myself,  'is  too  bad ;  I  can't  en- 
dure it.' 

'•  They  received  me  politely  and  kindly.  But  oh  !  how  dry, 
how  dreadfully  diy  !     The  old  building,  too,  was  rickety  and 


2G  College  Days. 

dismal.  The  walls  of  the  room  looked  as  if  no  lime  had 
touched  them  for  twenty  years,  and  the  floor  as  if  it  had 
never  been  scoured. 

"  But  in  all  this  the  hand  of  God  soon  became  distinctly 
visible.  These  room-mates,  who,  to  a  thoughtless  youth 
like  me,  seemed  so  uncongenial  at  first,  soon  won  my  confi- 
dence and  love.  One  of  them  died,  I  think,  without  being- 
licensed  to  preach ;  the  other  Hved  out  his  three-score  years 
and  ten,  and  was  very  successful  as  a  herald  of  the  cross.  I 
cherish,  with  the  tenderest  affection,  the  memory  of  Hugh 
Caldwell  and  Wm.  Hammersley  (although  more  than  forty- 
five  years  have  passed),  and  that  of  Mr.  Kii'kpatrick  and  Dr. 
Hoge  fer  having  juit  me  at  that  critical  age  under  their  in- 
fluence. 

"  llev.  Dr.  Moses  Hoge  was  the  president  of  the  College, 
professor  of  theology,  and  pastor  of  the  church,  and  filled 
each  chair  with  abiHt3\  He  took  his  turn  in  conducting 
the  morning  and  afternoon  worship  in  the  College  chapel, 
preached  every  Sabbath  morning,  and  lectured  every  Sab- 
bath night  in  his  own  parlor.  The  laws  of  the  College  re- 
quired me  to  attend  chapel  service,  and,  from  a  sense  of 
duty  rather  than  inclination,  I  attended  regularly.  I  also 
went  regularly  on  Sabbath  morning,  but  night  meetings 
were  new  to  me,  and,  as  we  were  free  to  go  or  stay  away,  I 
did  not  attend.  Dr.  Hoge's  sermons  were  rich  in  matter, 
but  his  manner  was  by  no  means  attractive.  To  me  it  was 
rather  repulsive,  and  decidedly  awkward.  But,  in  spite  of 
my  own  vitiated  taste  and  dense  ignorance,  I  was  obliged  to 
hear  enough  to  be  convinced  of  his  warm  heart  and  brilliant 
intellect,  and  learned  to  hsten  with  Hvely  interest.  Al- 
though my  heart  was  sometimes  moved,  my  conscience 
slept. 

"  One  Sabbath  night,  so  thoughtless  was  I  and  ignorant,  I 
took  up  my  text-book  to  prepare  my  lesson  for  Monda3^ 
Good  Mr.  Hammersley  was  surprised  and  mortified  at  thisj 


Conversion.  27 

spoke  ill  plain  but  kind  terms  of  its  wickedness,  and  ended 
by  begging  nie  to  go  with  him  to  the  meeting  in  Dr.  Hoge's 
parlor.  My  conscience  smote  me.  Memory  recalled  my 
loved  and  faithful  grandmother,  now  in  heaven,  and  I  went. 
Dr.  Hoge  lectured  on  Eelshazzar's  feast,  and  dwelt  particu- 
larly' on  the  mysterious  handwriting  on  the  wall:  *Thou 
art  weighed  in  the  balances  and  found  wanting.'  I  was  in- 
terested, convinced,  and  deepty  affected.  I  strove  hard  to 
conceal  my  feelings. 

"When  the  services  ended  I  hastened  from  the  i^arlor, 
spoke  to  nobody,  but  did  not  return  to  my  room.  I  was 
afraid  to  see  my  room-mates,  thinking  that  the  sight  of 
them,  even  if  they  should  not  speak  to  me,  would  increase 
my  distress.  I  hastened  to  the  forest,  several  hundred  j^ards 
beyond  the  College,  and  there,  in  the  night  and  dark  and 
silent  woods,  I  had  the  first  clear  conception  of  the  difference 
between  saying  prayers  and  praying.  The  first  I  was  f  amil- 
iai'iztd  to  in  childliood,  the  latter  I  had  never  attempted 
nor  understood.  Nor  did  I  understand  it  then.  I  knelt  at 
the  root  of  a  tree,  both  hands  resting  against  the  trunk.  I 
could  not  i)ray.  I  knew  not  how.  I  was  deeply  sensible 
that,  if  weighed  in  the  balances  of  God's  law  and  justice,  I 
must  perish.  I  clearly  saw  that  a  large  measure  of  my 
guilt  consisted  not  only  in  my  not  praying,  but  in  my  in- 
ability to  pray, 

"  I  returned  to  my  room  far  more  wretched  than  I  was  when 
I  left  Dr.  Hoge's  parlor.  It  may  seem  strange,  but  it  is 
nevertheless  true,  that  I  was  rather  gratified  than  otherwise, 
on  reaching  my  room,  to  find  both  my  room-mates  abed  and 
asleep.  I  felt  a  strong  repugnance  to  speaking  to  any  one 
or  ha\-ing  any  one  to  speak  to  me.     I  slept  but  little. 

"At  a  very  early  hour  the  next  morning  I  hastened  to  the 
woods  again.  As  I  slowly  descended  into  a  densely  wooded 
ravine,  my  attention  was  attracted  by  the  sound  of  a  human 
voice,  as  of  one  in  distress.     I  paused  a  moment,  then  slowly 


28  Conversion. 

aud  cautiously  advanced  in  the  direction  of  the  sound.  I 
soon  discovered  its  soiu'ce.  I  saw  the  body  of  a  man  kneel- 
ing-, with  his  hands  resting  on  a  rude  seat  built  against  the 
trunk  of  a  tree.  I  soon  recognized  the  person  as  that  of  my 
excellent  friend,  now  the  Rev.  Daniel  A.  Penick,  pastor  of 
Eocky  River  Church,  North  CaroHna.  I  caught  some  of  his 
words,  and  even  a  sentence  or  two.  I  wept  because  I  could 
not  pray  as  he  could.  I  desired  greatly  to  sjoeak  to  him  and 
have  him  tell  me  how  to  pray.  But  I  saw  the  impropriety 
of  disturbing  him  then,  passed  on  as  quietly  as  possible  to 
another  part  of  the  forest,  and  renewed  my  effort  to  pray.  I 
recalled  the  parable  of  the  prodigal  son,  in  which  I  had  been 
much  interested  in  earh'  childhood,  without  comprehending 
its  spiritual  import,  and  made  the  confession  and  the  prayer 
of  the  prodigal  to  his  father  mine :  '  Fa-ther,  I  have  sinned 
against  heaven  and  in  thy  sight,  and  am  no  more  worthy  to 
be  called  thy  son ;  make  me  as  one  of  thy  hired  servants.' 
These  vv^ords  abode  with  me.  They  dwelt  in  my  mind  and 
on  my  heart.  What  I  had  seen  and  heard  in  the  morning 
inclined  me  strongly  to  make  my  condition  known  to  Mr. 
Penick.  This  I  did  during  the  day,  but  I  well  remember 
that  my  embarrassment  was  such  that  I  could  say  but  little 
to  him.  What  I  said,  however,  was  quite  enough  to  open 
the  way  for  him,  and  he  spoke  in  a  way  greatly  to  instruct 
and  comfort  me.  My  state  of  mind  was  soon  known  through 
the  College,  and  others  kindly  sought  to  give  me  all  the  help 
in  their  power. 

"The  pious  students  held  a  prayer  meeting  every  Friday 
night  in  one  of  the  rooms  of  the  College.  To  gratify  my 
friend  Hammersley,  I  had,  previous  to  this  time,  attended 
this  meeting  two  or  three  times ;  but  a  wicked  student,  who 
had  vmfortunately  acquired  some  influence  over  me,  had  ral- 
lied me  for  going,  and  said  nobody  but  'the  divines'  went 
to  that  meeting,  and  they  only  went  to  learn  to  pray  when 
they  became  preachers.      But  when  Friday  night  of  this 


CONVEESION.  29 

week  came  I  went  to  that  meeting  gladW.  And  greatly  was 
my  soul  refreshed.  The  Scrij^tnres  read  and  the  hymna 
sung,  though  somewhat  familiar  to  me  in  their  letter,  now 
seemed  new.  Indeed,  it  seemed  as  if  I  had  never  seen  or 
heard  them  before. 

"In  the  course  of  a  week  or  two  I  sought  an  interview  wdth 
Dr.  Hoge.  I  was  amazed  and  deeph'  affected  to  find  one  of 
his  age  and  distinction  so  approachable,  so  condescending, 
and  so  kind.  He  followed  me  to  his  front  door,  took  my 
hand  in  his,  and  said :  '  I  think  you  may  safely  apply  for 
admission  to  the  next  communion,  and  feel  a  comfortable 
persuasion  that  this  will  not  be  with  you  as  the  morning 
cloud  and  earl}^  dew.'  I  did  apply  at  the  next  communion, 
and  was  received  into  the  College  Church  at  Hampden- Sid- 
ney, where  my  membership  has  remained  until  this  day, 
never  having  been  dismissed  to  any  other  church.  This  oc- 
curred on  the  19th  of  July,  1819." 

This  account  of  his  conversion,  written  b}'  Dr.  ^ATiite  in 
his  old  age,  calmly  reviewing  his  past  Hf e,  in  the  full  posses- 
sion of  all  his  faculties,  on  the  border  of  the  world  to  come, 
and  written  for  the  instruction  of  his  children,  is  certainly 
reliable  testimony  on  a  most  important  subject.  This  is  a 
''religious  experience,"  proved  by  a  long  and  useful  life, 
and,  as  far  as  such  personal  narratives  can  be  relied  on,  very 
suggestive.  Men  of  the  world  may  say  of  it,  as  the  great 
historian  and  essayist,  Macaulay,  once  wrote,  viz.: 

"From  Augustine  downward,  people  strongly  under  reli- 
gious impressions  have  written  their  confessions,  or,  in  the 
cant  phrase,  their  experiences;  and  very  curious  many  of 
their  narratives  are.  John  Newton's,  Bunyan's,  Will  Hunt- 
ington's, Cowper's,  AYesley's,  AYhitefield's,  Scott's — there  is 
no  end  of  them.  When  worldly  men  have  imitated  these 
narratives,  it  has  almost  always  been  in  a  satirical  and  hos- 
tile spirit.  Goethe  is  the  single  instance  of  an  mibeliever 
who  has  attempted  to  put  himself  into  the  person  of  one  of 


30  Character  ix  Youth. 

these  pious  autobiographers.  He  has  tried  to  imitate  them, 
just  as  he  tried  to  imitate  the  Greek  dramatists  in  his  Iphi- 
geiiia,  and  the  Roman  poets  in  his  elegies.  A  ^a■dgar  artist 
■would  have  multiplied  texts  and  savory  phrases.  He  has 
done  nothing  of  the  kind,  but  has  tried  to  exhibit  the  spirit 
of  piety  in  the  highest  exaltation ;  and  a  very  singular  per- 
formance he  has  produced."  ' 

This  confession  will  be  very  curious  also  to  thoughtful 
men,  who  have  never  been  strongly  moved  by  the  word  and 
Spirit  of  God ;  but  only  to  such. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  T.  W.  Sydnor,  of  Blackstone,  Ya.,  has  drawn 
the  following  pen  and  ink  portrait  of  young  AYhite  at  this 
time  of  his  life : 

"I  know  well  the  impression  of  him  made  early  and  in- 
delibly on  my  mind.  It  was  this :  He  was  a  youth  of  hand- 
some features  and  pleasing  manners,  playful  in  his  disposi- 
tion, full  of  fun  and  frolic,  but  never  vicious.  He  was  kind 
and  generous  in  all  his  impulses,  gentle  towards  the  weak, 
pitiful  towards  the  unfortunate,  forgiving  towards  the  inju- 
rious— only  sometimes  a  little  precipitate  and  indiscreet  in 
resenting  insults,  or  wrongs  against  other  persons  than  him- 
self. True  and  steadfast  to  his  friends,  he  would  never, 
if  he  could  prevent  it  by  any  means  which  seemed  to  him 
light  and  proper,  allow  them  to  be  imposed  upon.  Far  from 
being  a  bully,  he  was  equally  far  from  being  a  coward.  His 
schoolmates  and  other  associates  regarded  him  as  the  very 
bravest  of  the  brave.  He  was  apt  to  learn,  but  not  very 
studious.  Still,  being  habitually  respectful  and  dutiful  to 
his  teachers,  he  shared  largely  their  confidence  and  affection. 
He  was  a  great  favorite  with  his  fellow  pupils,  foremost  in 
their  schemes  and  sports — a  leader  among  boys  as  he  was 
afterwards  a  leader  amonq:  men. 


^  Life  and  Letters  of  Lord  MaAiaula>j,\o\.  11.,  \\  193.    Leipsic.    Lem- 
mermanu  &  Co. 


Character  in  Youth.  31 

*' Very  early  in  life  he  was  piously  disposed — like  Timothy, 
Ivnowiug  the  Scriptures  from  a  child;  like  David,  glad  when 
it  was  said  unto  him,  'Let  us  go  into  the  house  of  the  Lord'; 
like  Samuel,  attentive  to  the  voice  of  God,  and  ready  to  min- 
ister in  his  service.  My  mother  confidently  predicted  that 
he  would  become  a  preacher  of  the  gospel." 

The  following  letter  from  the  Rev.  Dr.  Theodorick  Pryor 
sketches  young  White  at  the  same  time  of  hfe: 

"Nottoway  C.  H.,  Va.,  May  11,  1886. 
"Eev.  and  De.\r  Brother:  My  acquaintance  with  your 
father,  the  late  William  S.  AVhite,  D.  D.,  began  in  June, 
1823,  when  I  entered  Hampd en-Sidney  College.  He  was 
then  a  member  of  the  Junior  class.  I  occupied  a  room  im- 
mediately above  his,  and  was  thus  thrown  into  frequent  and 
familiar  intercourse  with  him.  We  belonged  to  the  same 
debating  society.  I  knew  him  well.  My  impression,  is  that 
he  was  the  most  poj)ular  man  in  College,  universally  loved 
and  esteemed.  He  was  among  the  best  debaters  in  his  so- 
ciety. Whilst  he  was  not  honored  with  a  distinguished  ora- 
tion at  graduation,  my  impression  is  that  he  always  stood 
well  in  his  class.  Because  of  his  genial  disposition  and  liis 
dehght  in  famihar  conversation,  he  probably  lost  some  time 
which  would  better  have  been  employed  in  study.  His  col- 
lege life  was  without  a  blemish  or  censure,  and  he  carried, 
when  he  entered  the  Theological  Seminary,  a  character  of 
eminent  piety.  My  opinion  is,  that  he  studied  better  in  the 
Seminar}'  than  in  College." 


CHAPTEK    III. 

1820-1824. 

Teaching  in  his  Father's  FAMUiY. — A  Profitable  Prayer  Meett 
ING. — Gilbert  Tennent  Snowden. — Death  of  his  Father. — 
Seeing  his  Way  into  the  Ministry. — Dr.  John  H.  Eice.  — Mrs. 
John  H.  Rice. — Their  Home. — Anecdotes  about  Dr.  Rice. — 
Dr.  Rice's  Death. — Re-enters  College. — How  he  Gets  through 
College. 

"  Thou  hast  marked  the  slow  rise  of  the  tree,— how  its  stem  trembled  first 
TiU  it  passed  the  kid's  lips,  the  stags  autler — then  safely  outbiirst 
The  fan  branches  all  round.*' 

WHEN  Mr.  White  had  completed  six  months  of  his  Fresh- 
man year,  he  was  compelled,  by  want  of  funds,  to  sus- 
pend his  studies  for  a  year.  So  he  opened  a  school  in  his 
father's  famih',  in  Eichmond,  where  they  had  moved  a  short 
time  before.  Here  he  made  the  acquaintance  of  a  Mr.  Gil- 
bert Tennent  Snowden,  a  native  of  New  Jersey  and  lineal 
descendant  of  the  Rev.  Gilbert  Tennent,  of  Log  College. 
He  was  an  intelligent  and  very  earnest  Christian,  and  took 
^Ii\  AVhite  to  the  "Young  Men's  Prayer  Meeting,"  and 
showed  an  interest  in  him  otherwise. 

"On  one  occasion,"  Dr.  White  ^\Tites,  "having  sold  me  a 
small  package  of  goods,  as  he  handed  it  to  me  over  the 
counter,  he  asked,  in  a  low  tone  of  voice:  'Do  3'ou  think  you 
have  rehgion  enough? 

"Somewhat  startled,  I  replied  j^romptly,  'By  no  means; 
indeed,  I  often  doubt  whether  I  have  any.' 

"'"Well,'  he  said,  'suppose  you  and  I  meet  at  your  school- 
room to-night,  and  spend  an  hour  in  reading  the  word  of  God, 
and  prayer  ?     We  will  have  a  prayer  meeting  all  to  ourselves.' 

32 


Dr.  John  H.  Kice.  33 

''I  readily  consented,  and  for  several  months  we  thus  met 
three  nights  in  each  week,  and  I  have  ever  believed  that 
that  was  the  most  jn'ofitable  prayer  meeting  I  ever  attended. 
There,  for  the  first  time,  I  prayed  in  the  hearing  of  another, 
and  there  the  question  fii'st  rose  in  my  mind  as  to  preaching 
the  gospel. 

"I  spent  one  year  in  Richmond,  and  then  returned  to 
college.  Snowden  left  about  the  same  time  for  Columbia, 
South  Carohna,  where  he  became  a  wise,  active  and  gener- 
ous ruling  elder,  and  one  of  the  most  trusted  and  useful 
directors  of  the  Theological  Seminary  at  Columbia,  and  often 
represented  his  Presbyter}^  in  the  General  Assembly. 

"When  ni}^  Sophomore  year  in  college  ended,  Snowden 
urged  me  to  come  to  Columbia  and  make  his  house  my  home, 
offering  me  abundant  pecuniary  help.  I  was  always  strongly 
averse  to  leaving  my  native  State,  and  to  accepting  gratuity 
in  prosecuting  m}'  studies.  But  when  every  effort  to  raise 
money  on  my  prospective  inheritance  failed,  I  agreed  to  go 
to  Columbia  and  teach  school,  if  a  good  situation  could  be 
gotten,  as  a  last  resort.  Divine  providence  ordered  other- 
wise, and  so  my  life  has  been  spent  in  Virginia  instead  of 
South  Carolina. 

"In  September,  1820,  my  father  died,  and  my  mother  re- 
turned to  her  farm  in  Hanover.  Having  to  look  for  a  home, 
my  thoughts  turned  to  the  Eev.  Dr.  John  H.  Eice,  then 
pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  in  Eichmond.  To 
my  great  joy,  he  consented  to  board  me,  and  thus  an  ac- 
quaintance began,  the  benefits  of  which  to  myself  can  never 
be  estimated.  I  was  thus  introduced  into  one  of  the  best- 
modelled  Christian  families,  and  into  the  best  societ}^  which 
the  city  or  countr}^  afforded. 

"  I  had  not  yet  determined  on  a  profession.  Indeed,  my 
mind  was  so  engrossed  with  the  purpose  to  get  a  good  edu- 
cation, with  little  prospect  of  doing  so,  that  my  thoughts  had 
never  extended  beyond  it.  Soon  after  I  became  a  member 
3 


34  Dk,  John  H.  Rice. 

of  Dr.  Rice's  famil}^  he  placed  iu  my  hands  the  "Life  of  Cor- 
nelius Winter,"  by  the  Rev.  William  Jay.  When  I  had  read 
it,  the  Doctor  asked  me  if  that  book  had  not  awakened  a 
desire  in  me  to  preach  the  gospel.  I  expressed  a  lively  in- 
terest in  the  life  and  character  of  Mr.  Winter,  and  a  strong 
desire  to  become  as  good  and  useful  a  man,  and  added,  'But, 
Doctor  Rice,  I  can't  see  my  way  into  the  ministry.' 

"  'How  far  can  you  see? '  he  asked. 

" '  With  what  I  hope  to  make  by  my  school  this  session,  I 
can  see  one  year  ahead.' 

"I  have  never  forgotten  his  reply.     It  w^as  in  these  words: 

"'Very  few  persons  can  see  a  Avhole  year  before  them  at 
one  time.  Surely  Moses  could  not  when  he  stood  with  the 
Red  Sea  before  him,  the  mountains  on  his  right  and  left, 
and  the  Egyptians  in  his  rear.' 

"Thus  ended  this  interview,  but  the  impression  it  made 
has  never  been  effaced. 

"Soon  after  this,  on  entering  the  Doctor's  study,  I  found 
him  reading  a  new  book.  He  raised  his  eyes  and  said, 
*  Here  is  one  of  the  best  books  of  the  kind  I  have  ever  read. 
It  is  just  from  the  press.  One  may  profitably  read  it  through 
every  3-ear  of  his  life.  I  wish  3'ou  to  read  it  with  prayer, 
saying,  as  you  read,  "  Lord,  what  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do  ?  " ' 
It  was  the  "Life  of  Henry  Martyn."  I  had  no  sooner  finished 
it  than  my  purpose  was  formed.  The  language  n(3w  both  of 
my  tongue  and  h'eart  was,  '  Woe  is  me  if  I  preach  not  the 
gospel.' 

"Dr.  Rice,  even  at  this  early  period,  had  risen  to  great 
distinction.  He  had  commenced  the  ministry  an  humble 
missionary  to  the  negroes  in  Charlotte  county,  Virginia. 
Now  he  was  the  pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  in 
Richmond,  and  editor  of  the  SoutJiern  Literary  and  JSvan- 
gellcal  Magazine,  a  monthly,  conducted  with  great  ability. 
Rev.  Drs.  Moses  Hoge,  Conrad  Speece  and  John  Matthews 
were  his  chief  helpers  among  the  ministry,  while  the  Hon. 


Dr.  John  H,  Eice.  35 

"Win.  "W^irt  and  AYm.  Maxwell,  Esq.,  were  Lis  chief  helpers 
among  the  lait}'.  The  variety  of  matter,  as  well  as  the  prac- 
tical wisdom  displayed  in  the  conduct  of  this  magazine,  give 
it  a  value  that  will  make  it  attractive  and  useful  to  the  end 
<.>f  time.  The  twelve  volumes,  of  which  it  consists,  constitute 
one  of  the  best  portions  of  my  library. 

"  To  strangers,  and  especially  to  young  men  who  did  not 
know  him,  Dr.  Pace  seemed  austere.  His  tall,  majestic  form, 
and  thoughtful,  solemn  coimtenance,  as  he  was  seen  on  the 
street  or  in  the  pulpit,  repelled  rather  than  attracted  persons 
of  this  description.  It  was  so  in  a  sad  degree  in  my  own 
case,  until  I  met  him  in  the  social  circle,  and  especially  in 
his  own  delightful  parlor.  Here  all  austerity  and  stern- 
ness vanished,  and  a  more  approachable,  more  genial,  more 
dehghtf  ul  companion  could  nowhere  be  found.  Young  men 
of  good  character,  brought  thus  in  contact  with  him,  became 
passionately  fond  of  him.  During  his  pastorate  at  Rich- 
mond there  was  a  large  number  of  such  who  were  f  amiharl}- 
designated  as  'Dr.  Rice's  young  men.'  I  had  the  good 
fortune  to  be  of  that  number. 

"The  Doctor  seemed  to  be  aware  of  the  diJSiculty  of  ap- 
p'oaching  strange  young  men  directly,  and  hence  his  method 
was  to  do  it  indirectly.  The  following  little  incident  will 
illustrate  my  meaning.  On  coming  home  from  a  visit  of 
business  to  several  stores,  he  said  to  me,  'I  saw  a  young 
man  just  now  in  the  store  of  Cotton  &  Clark,  whose  appear- 
ance impressed  me  very  favorably,  and  I  would  be  glad  to 
make  his  acquaintance.'  On  his  describing  the  personal 
appearance  of  the  3'oung  man,  I  said  to  him,  'Doctor,  I 
know  hiin,  but  you  would  hardly  like  him,  for  he  is  a  Socin- 
ian,  from  Boston.'  He  promptly  rej^lied,  'That  only  makes 
me  the  more  anxious  to  know  him.  I  wish  you  would  bring 
him  up  to  tea  with  jou.'  Soon  after  I  told  the  young  man 
that  Dr.  Rice  had  been  so  much  pleased  with  his  attention 
to  customers  that  he  desired  me  to  brin<>-  him  to  his  house 


36  Mrs.  John  H.  Eice. 

to  tea.  The  young  man  seemed  surprised,  but  evidently 
gratified.  He  declined,  however,  at  that  time,  but  on  further 
thought  he  determined  to  accept  the  Doctor's  invitation, 
went  with  me  to  tea,  was  delighted  with  his  visit,  soon  at- 
tended 'The  Young  Men's  Prayer  Meeting' — a  meeting 
composed  almost  exclusively  of  'Dr.  Lice's  3'oung  men' — 
and  in  a  few  months  became  a  member  of  the  Doctor's 
church,  and  a  great  favorite  in  his  famil}". 

"I  must  not  fail  to  say  that  he  was  not  the  only  attraction 
found  in  his  parlor.  He  had  no  children,  but  he  had  a  wife 
and  a  niece — an  adopted  daughter — who  had  no  superiorjj 
in  the  art  of  polite  entertainment.  The  Doctor  did  the  solid 
and  they  tJie  beautiful,  so  that  both  instruction  and  amuse- 
ment could  always  be  found  in  that  parlor.  Mrs.  Eice  pos- 
sessed a  very  happy  talent  for  dispelling  from  the  minds  of 
her  visitors  the  thought  that  they  were  strangers.  She  did 
this  by  treating  them  very  much  as  they  were  treated  at 
their  respective  homes.  Visitors  were  not  invited  to  this 
hospitable  house  to  eat  and  drink,  but  if  eating  and  drink- 
ing came  on  during  the  visit,  they  partook  of  just  what  was 
on  hand.  Even  if  the  tea  ran  short,  as  I  have  sometimes 
known  it  to  do  in  consequence  of  an  unusual  number  drop- 
ping in  just  at  tea-time,  no  sad  looks,  no  dolorous  apologies 
caused  embarrassment.  The  company  Avere  supposed  t;) 
have  good  sense  enough  fully  to  account  for  the  failure. 

"By  the  wa}',  I  have  often  been  frightened  away  from  the 
house  of  '  the  best  people '  about  meal  time  by  knowing  into 
what  an  agon}'  of  distress  I  should  throw  the  lady  of  the 
house  by  catching  her  with  a  wash-day  dinner,  or  a  milk  and 
bread  supper.  No  visitor  could  ever  distress  the  Doctor, 
nor  even  his  kind,  hospitable  wife,  in  that  wa3\  It  may  be 
that  this  distinguished  couple  had,  somehow,  come  to  think 
that  to  people  of  taste  and  sense  other  sources  of  delightful 
entertainment  might  be  expected  in  their  house,  even  better 
than  roast  beef  and  plum  pudding.      They  thought  it  quite 


Dr.  John  H.  Rice.  37 

as  rejnitable  and  as  useful  to  feed  the  mind  and  heart  as  to 
pamper  the  perishable  body. 

"But  let  none  suppose  that  there  was  any  lack  of  all  that 
was  necessary  and  agreeable  on  that  hospitable  board.  Eut 
'  eat  to  liye  and  not  live  to  eat '  was  the  sound  and  Chris- 
tian-like maxim  that  ruled  in  that  house,  and,  as  a  conse- 
quence of  this,  among"  higher  influences,  I  am  free  to  de- 
clare that  in  all  my  life  I  have  never  known  so  large  an 
amount  of  good  done  to  the  soul  through  the  proper  culture 
of  the  social  affections. 

"Dr.  Eice  was  too  good,  too  strong,  too  faithful  a  man  ever 
to  have  it  said  of  him,  as  it  is  often  foolishly  said  of  the  de- 
ceased minister  of  the  gospel,  'he  had  not  an  enemy  on 
earth.'  I  always  regarded  this  as  a  virtual  attempt  to  ele- 
vate the  man  above  his  Saviour.  '  Woe  be  unto  you  when 
all  men  shall  speak  well  of  you.'  And  with  equal  truth  may 
it  be  said.  Woe  be  to  him  whose  life  is  such  as  to  j^rovoke  no 
ill-will,  even  from  the  devil  or  any  of  his  emissaries.  It  may 
be  said  in  truth,  that  the  intelligent,  the  wise  and  the  good 
only  needed  to  know  Dr.  Eice  in  order  to  respect,  admire 
and  love  him. 

'•  On  entering  his  study  one  morning  he  handed  me  a  letter 
filled  with  vulgar  abuse  of  him,  and  written  by  a  bookseller  of 
Eichmond  of  no  small  pretensions.  The  reading  of  it  filled 
me  with  indignation.  I  wondered  how  he  could  endure  it, 
or  what  he  would  say  in  reply.  But  when  I  returned  to 
him  the  letter,  he  handed  me  the  reply  already  written,  smil- 
i]:ig  good  naturedly  as  he  did  so.  It  was  couched  in  the 
well-knowTQ  stanza  of  Wm.  Cowper,  with  only  the  prefix 
*  sir ' — • 

"  '  A  piovis,  learned,   or  well-bred  man 
Will  not  insTill  me,  and  no  other  can. ' 

This,  with  his  signature,  abruptly  appended,  was  the  whole 
reply.     There  the  matter  ended. 


38  Dr.  John  H.  Eice. 

"My  brief  residence  in  the  family  of  Dr.  Rice  at  Bicli- 
mond  brought  nic  in  contact  with  some  of  our  most  distin- 
guished, as  well  as  with  many  of  our  most  intelligent  citi- 
zens. Among  the  former  were  Frank  Gilmer,  Esq.,  Judge 
A.  P.  I^pshur,  Gov.  J.  P.  Preston,  and  Hon.  "Wm.  Wirt; 
among  the  latter  were  Morton  Paine,  Wm.  Maxwell,  Chas. 
Copland,  Henry  E.  Watkins,  Esqrs.,  and  many  others  not 
now  remembered.  To  be  brought  from  time  to  time  into 
the  society  of  such  men  was  a  rich  privilege  to  a  youth  like 
me.  I  have  a  vivid  recollection  of  the  cultivated,  social  in- 
tercourse which  such  men  delighted  to  hold. 

"At  one  time  a  youngster,  with  more  impudence  than 
brains,  entered  the  Doctor's  parlor  when  it  was  filled  with 
the  society  of  such  as  I  have  named.  He  had  scarcely  been 
seated  when,  with  a  very  pompous  manner  and  a  voice  loud 
enough  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  whole  room,  he  said : 
'Dr  Eice,  I  have  just  read  LoitI  Byron's  last,  splendid 
IDoem,  "Don  Juan."  I  would  like  to  know  your  opinion  of 
it.' 

"The  Doctor,  with  all  the  politeness  of  manner  he  could 
command,  said :  '  Well,  sir,  I  do  not  know  whether  Satan 
can  write  poetry  or  not,  but  if  he  can,  as  far  as  the  princi- 
j)les  and  spirit  of  the  poem  are  concerned,  it  is  just  such  an 
one  as  he  would  write.' 

"With  this  'Don  Juan'  was  dismissed,  and  the  preten- 
tious young  man  soon  took  his  departure. 

"Dr.  Eice  had  a  favorite  servant,  named  Charles,  who  had 
the  confidence  of  his  master  to  such  an  extent  that  he  did 
all  the  marketing  for  the  family,  and  transacted  much  other 
business.  His  sole  charge  in  this  way  of  work  was  to  wait 
in  the  dining-room  and  attend  to  the  visitors.  On  one  oc- 
casion the  family  dined  out.  When  they  returned  in  the 
evening,  Charles  told  his  master  that  a  gentleman  had  called 
that  day  to  see  him,  but  '  he  neither  left  his  name  nor  his 
card,  sir,  and  I  didn't  like  to  be  so  impolite  as  to  ask  him.' 


Dr.  John  H.  Eice.  39 

"  '  You  do  not  know,  then,'  said  the  Doctor,  'who  he  was? 
But,  Charles,  can't  you  guess  wlio  he  was  V 

"  To  this  Charles  replied :  '  I  doesn't  know,  sir,  but  I  rather 
'spose  he  was  a  Yankee  preacher.' 

"  '  Why  so,  Charles  V  said  his  master. 

"  *  Well,  sir,'  said  Charles,  '  I  has  two  reasons  for  'sposin' 
he  is  a  Y'ankee,  and  two  for  'sposin'  he  is  a  preacher.  I 
think,  sir,  he  is  a  Yankee  because  so  many  of  them  comes 
here,  and  because  he  talks  so  percise ;  and  I  'spose  he  is  a 
preacher  because  he  was  dressed  in  black  and  wears  spec- 
tacles.' 

"  Dr.  Eice  entertained  a  great  deal  of  company,  especially 
from  the  North.  He  had  often  travelled  through  that  sec- 
tion of  the  countr}',  and  made  many  friends,  and  received 
hberal  contributions  there  for  the  Seminary  he  had  founded 
and  for  other  objects.  He  was  free  from  sectional  pre- 
judices, and  trusted  and  loved  those  whom  he  considered 
good  men  wherever  he  found  them.  The  scarcity  of  preach- 
ers in  Virginia,  caused  in  part  by  the  want  of  a  theological 
seminar}^  led  to  the  coming  of  many  from  the  North,  and 
they  invariabl}^  came  to  him  to  find  for  them  a  field  of  labor. 
The  consequence  was  that  he  often  had  two  or  three  to- 
gether staying  at  his  house  for  weeks  at  a  time.  Charles 
was  right  in  supposing  that  the  visitor  sj)oken  of  above  was 
a  Yankee  preacher.  He  reported  himself  as  such  the  next 
morning,  and  he  must  have  s^^ent  at  least  two  months  under 
Dr.  Eice's  roof.  Indeed,  it  was  very  unnsual  to  take  a  meal 
at  his  table  witlfout  having  one  or  more  strangers  i^resent. 

"  The  last  journey  of  the  Doctor  to  the  North  was  taken  in 
the  summer  of  1831.  He  came  home  with  the  disease  upon 
him  of  which  he  died  in  September  following.  Settled  then 
in  Nottoway  county,  and  hearing  of  his  sickness,  I  rode  up 
to  the  Seminary  to  see  him.  On  every  former  occasion  he 
had  returned  from  the  Noi-th  in  cheerful  spirits.  But  at 
this  time  I  was  pained  to  find  him  much  depressed.     He 


40  Classmates  at  College. 

spoke  gloomily  of  the  spirit  he  had  discovered  almost  where- 
ever  he  went.  I  well  remember  his  saying :  '  There  is  a 
fierceness  in  the  utterances,  looks,  and  even  in  the  tones  of 
voice  in  which  the  peoj^le  indulge.  Large  portions  of  the 
country  seem  to  liave  been  burned  over  by  spurious  revivals. 
I  fear  there  is  a  terrible  storm  ahead.'  He  was  the  first 
man  I  remember  to  have  heard  use  the  word  'fanaticism' 
as  characteristic  of  large  numbers  at  the  North,  and  even 
of  some  whom  he  had  hitherto  regarded  as  wise  and  good 
men.  The  storm  he  predicted  has  come,  but  he  was  not 
j)ermitted  to  witness  it. 

"  My  school  in  Richmond  ended,  and  I  returned  to  college. 
I  entered  where  I  stopped,  Freshman,  half-advanced,  having 
of  course  new  class-mates.  I  wish  my  sons  to  remember, 
three  of  whom  graduated  before  they  were  nineteen  and 
one  before  he  was  eighteen,  that  their  father  was  only  half 
through  Freshman  in  the  twenty-second  year  of  his  age. 
(Perhaps  it  may  be  wiser  to  call  the  attention  of  my  grand- 
sons to  this.)  I  graduated  on  the  24th  of  September,  1824, 
when  turned  of  twenty-four  years  of  age,  having  as  my 
classmates  J)r.  Peyton  R.  Berkley,  Thomas  T.  Giles,  John 
Clarke,  Esq.,  Samuel  V.  Watkins,  Esq.,  Hon.  Wm.  Ballard 
Preston. 

[Dr.  Theodorick  Pryor,  who  was  a  student  at  the  same 
time,  is  our  authority  for  saying  that  among  his  fellow-stu- 
dents w^ere  Hugh  A.  Garland,  Virginia ;  Alex.  Rives,  Vir- 
..i-inia:  Beverly  Crawford,  Georgia ;  Bishop  Atkinson,  North 
Carolina ;  Robert  Carter,  Virginia ;  Allen  D.  Metcalf ,  North 
Carohna;  Dr.  Jesse  Armistcad,  Virginia;  Robert  Burwell, 
North  Carolina  ;  Robert  T.  Turnbull,  Virginia.  There  were 
at  that  time  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  students  at  Hamp- 

den-Sidney.     Cashing,  an  Episcopalian,  was  president. 

The  University  of  Virginia,  going  into  operation  in  1825, 
drew  off  their  patronage  ] 


Working  his  Way.  41 

'•  For  the  encoiu-agement  of  boys  struggliii^-  for  an  educa- 
tion, I  must  state  that,  when  my  Sophomore  year  ended,  the 
money  I  had  made  by  teaching  in  Richmond  -was  exhausted. 
I  had  an  annual  income,  which,  with  close  economy,  would 
pay  for  my  tuition  and  books,  but  not  a  penny  had  I  with 
which  to  pay  my  board,  I  could  have  pressed  for  a  division 
of  the  little  estate  which  my  father  had  left,  but  the  admin- 
istrator urged  that  I  should  not  do  this,  as  the  estate  w^as 
in  debt  and  all  the  other  children  were  minors;  that  b}' 
keeping  it  together  a  few  years  he  could  pay  the  debts  and 
thus  render  it  much  more  valuable,  especially  to  those  still 
at  school.  I  felt  the  force  of  this,  and  pelded.  I  then  said 
to  him :  'As  you  are  a  moneyed  man,  and  have  all  of  my 
property  in  your  own  hands,  and  as  I  am  competent  to  exe- 
cute my  bond,  will  you  lend  me  money  enough  to  pay  my 
board  at  college  for  two  j^ears  longer  ? ' 

"He  replied,  'You  have  been  too  long  at  college,  and 
wasted  too  much  money  there  already.' 

"  Now,  the  old  gentleman  dealt  a  good  deal  in  horses,  and 
made  much  money  thereby.  Just  at  this  time  he  had  for 
sale  a  very  handsome  and  highly-pampered,  yet  not  very 
salable,  horse,  which  he  held  at  $200.  He  had  Yowed  to 
take  no  less,  and  could  not  get  it.  As  my  vacation  drew  to 
a  close,  I  began  to  feel  a  little  desperate  about  the  means  of 
paying  my  board  through  my  Junior  and  Senior  years,  so  I 
went  to  the  old  gentleman  and  said:  'I  have  come  down 
this  morning  to  buy  your  fine  dark  roan  horse.  I  will  exe- 
cute my  bond  to  you  for  the  price  you  ask,  and  you  may  be 
as  sure  of  the  pay  as  my  property  in  your  hands  can  make 
you.' 

" '  "What  on  earth  do  you  want  wdtli  such  a  horse?  ^\Tiat 
wild  scheme  have  you  in  your  head  now  ? ' 

"  'Never  mind,'  I  said;   'will  you  accede  to  my  px'oposal?' 

"The  bargain  was  soon  closed,  and  I  set  out  for  college, 
hoping  to  'ride  through  the  coui'se.'     I  was  very  indiffer- 


42  "NYoEKiNG  HIS  Way. 

ently  equipped  as  to  saddle,  bridle,  saddle-bags,  and  ap- 
parel, and  had  no  sooner  entered  upon  the  journey  than  I 
commenced  offering  my  fine  roan  for  sale.  Now,  my  anxiety 
to  sell  was  so  great  and  so  obvious,  mj'  ecjuipment  so  indif- 
ferent, and  m}^  horse  so  fine,  that,  although  no  one  among 
the  strangers  whom  I  met  ventured  to  hint  such  a  thing, 
yet  I  was  forced  to  believe  that,  in  at  least  two  or  three  in- 
stances, the  suspicion  was  felt  that  I  had  stolen  the  horse. 
But  sell  hiui  I  could  not,  and  I  began  to  despair,  when  sud- 
denly I  fell  into  the  following  soliloqu}":  '  The  price  of  board  is 
just  0 :00  per  annum;  two  hundred  dollars,  then — the  price  of 
the  horse — will  take  me  through.  My  excellent  friend,  Colo- 
nel Armistead  Burwell,  now  the  steward  of  the  College,  is  a 
great  admirer  of  fine  horses,  and,  in  his  better  days,  owned 
manv  of  them.  I'll  try  him.'  So  I  reined  up  the  roan  and 
rode  up  as  magisterially  as  possible.  Fortunately,  the 
Colonel  was  standing  at  his  yard  gate,  and,  although  he  was 
one  of  the  politest  men,  I  was  glad  to  see  that  his  attention 
was  soon  diverted  from  me  to  my  horse.  Having  scanned 
him  closely,  and  with  evident  satisfaction,  he  asked,  with 
mark(  d  emotion  : 

" '  Where  did  j'ou  get  that  fine  horse,  and  what  are  you 
going  to  do  with  him? ' 

"  The  prompt  reply  was,  '  I  got  him  in  Hanover,  and  I  have 
brought  him  for  you.' 

"'I  should  be  delighted  to  have  him,'  replied  the  Colonel, 
'but  I  have  not  the  money  now  to  buy  such  a  horse  as  that.' 

"'Mone}'!'  I  said.  'I  don't  want  a  cent  of  money  for 
him.  Just  give  me  my  board  through  my  Junior  and  Senior 
years  in  college  and  3'ou  shall  have  him.  This  will  be  pay- 
ing you  in  advance.' 

"  The  bargain  was  closed  before  we  entered  the  house,  and 
I  verily  believe  that  it  has  been  of  no  small  sei-Adce  to  my 
sons  to  know  that  their  father  got  through  college  by  eating 
up  a  Jiorse!" 


CHAPTEK   IV. 

1822-1827. 

Gbaduates.  —  Teachers'  School  in  Fakmville. — Taken  under  Care 
OF  Presbytery. — Opening  of  Union  TnEoiiOGic^Lij  Ssminary. — 
Studies  there  while  Teaching  in  Farimtille. — Anecdote  op 
Dr.  B.  H  Kick — Licensed  April  30,  1827. — Anecdote  of  Db. 
Rice,  or  How  to  Treat  Other  Denominations,— Goes  as  Home 
]\1issionary  to  Nottoway.  — Letter  of  Encouragement  from  Dr. 
B.  H.  EicE.  —  Sketches  and  Anecdotes  of  the  Two  Eices  and  of 
Dr.  William  S.  Reid. 

"  If  s  wiser  being  good  than  bad : 
It's  safer  being  rueek  than  fierce; 
It's  fitter  being  sane  than  mad." 

I  HAD  graduated,  and,  with  a  head  very  partially  filled 
and  a  purse  entirely  empty,  I  engaged  to  teach  a  limited 
number  of  boys  on  a  fixed  salary  in  Farmville,  Va.  As  I 
had  but  eight  boys,  and  nearly  all  of  them  classical  scholars 
of  the  same  grade  of  scholarship,  I  had  leisure  to  commence 
my  theological  studies  I  accordingly  placed  myself  under 
the  care  of  Hanover  Presbytery  as  a  candidate  for  the  min- 
istry of  the  gospel,  and  T\ent  once,  and  sometimes  twice,  a 
week  to  the  Seminary  for  assistance  in  my  studies.  This 
school  of  the  prophets  was  opened  with  three  students  just 
as  I  commenced  my  school  at  Farmville.  The  whole  labor 
devolved  at  first  on  Dr.  Rice,  and  the  course  of  instruction  was 
not  fully  developed  until  the  autumn  of  1825.  By  this  time 
Dr.  Rice  had  an  assistant;  eight  or  ten  students  were  added 
to  the  original  throe,  and  at  this  time  I  entered  systemati- 
cally upon  my  studies.  Two  full  j-ears  at  the  Seminaiy, 
with  what  little  I  had  done  while  teaching  in  Farmville, 
was  all  the  preparation  I  made  for  the  work  of  tho  ministiy. 

43 


44  Licensed  to  Preach. 

On  the  30tli  of  April,  1827,  I  was  licensed  by  Hanover 
Presb}i:erj — not  then  divided  into  East  and  AY  est  Hanover — 
as  a  probationer  for  the  gospel  ministry.  My  preparation 
was  by  no  means  comjolete,  a  fact  that  has  embarrassed  and 
perplexed  me  through  life.  My  hcensure  took  place  in  the 
Tabb-street  Church,  Petersburg,  of  "which  the  Eev.  Dr. 
Benj.  H.  Rice  was  then  the  minister.  This  excellent  man 
now  became  as  a  father  to  me.  During  the  meeting  of  the 
Presbytery  at  which  I  was  licensed,  considerable  religious 
interest  was  awakened  in  Dr.  Rice's  church,  and,  as  he  was 
chosen  to  represent  the  Presbytery  in  the  General  Assembly 
of  that  year,  he  left  me  to  do  the  best  I  could  for  a  couple 
of  wrecks  in  supplying  his  pulpit.  He  had  an  excellent  ses- 
sion, well  fitted  to  lead  in  prayer-meetings,  and  even  in  re- 
vivals, so  that  I  was  rather  a  learner  than  a  teacher.  Hav- 
ing spent  a  week  or  two  with  my  friends  in  Richmond  and 
Hanover,  upon  the  advice  of  Dr.  B.  H.  Rice,  and  sustained 
by  the  Young  Men's  Domestic  Missionary  Society  of  Peters- 
burg, I  went  as  a  missionary  to  the  county  of  Nottoway.  I 
commenced  my  labors  there  early  in  June,  1827.  All  the 
Presbyterians  that  could  be  gathered  in  Nottoway  and 
AmeHa,  with  two  or  three  in  the  upper  part  of  Dinwid- 
dle, and  as  many  in  the  lower  part  of  Lunenbiu'g,  consti- 
tiited  what  was  called  the  Nottoway  Presbyterian  Church. 
They  amounted  in  aU  to  eighteen,  and  lived  over  a  region 
of  country  thirty  miles  long  by  twenty-five  wide. 

My  indebtedness  for  much  kindness  to  the  Rev.  Dr.  Ben- 
jamin H.  and  his  brother,  the  Rev.  Dr.  John  H.  Rice,  ren- 
ders it  meet  that  I  should  give  my  impressions  of  these  two 
great  and  good  men.  Between  these  two  brothers  there 
were  points  of  resemblance  and  of  contrast.  The  former 
was  the  younger  of  the  two.  They  both  possessed  large 
and  well-proportioned  bodies,  large  and  Hberal  views,  vigor- 
ous minds,  and  warm  hearts.  Both  commenced  their  min- 
istry under  many  disadvantages,  their  earhest  labors  being 


Des.  John  H.  and  Benjaahn  H.  Rice.  45 

performed  in  small  and  obscure  congregations.  One  organ- 
ized the  first  Presbyterian  church  ever  existing  in  Rich- 
mond, commencing  with  only  foui'teen  members,  and  wor- 
shipping, for  the  want  of  a  house  of  worship,  in  the  Mason's 
Hall ;  the  other  organized  the  first  Presbyterian  church  in  Pe- 
tersburg, worshipping,  for  the  same  reason,  in  a  tobacco  ware- 
house, and  commencing  with  only  ten  or  twelve  members. 
They  settled  in  these  important  positions  near  the  same 
time.  There  they  grew,  and  the  churches  grew  with  them, 
until  they  became,  for  size  and  usefulness,  the  foremost 
churches  of  the  State.  Dr.  J.  H.  Rice  spent  about  twelve 
years  in  Richmond,  and  his  brother  about  fifteen  years  in 
Petersbm-g. 

The  former  was  the  more  studious  and  learned  man  of  the 
two.  The  latter  was  the  more  popular  preacher.  Dr.  B. 
H.  Rice  made  a  more  favorable  impression  on  strangers  at 
first  sight.  He  was  more  fluent,  both  in  the  social  circle 
and  the  pulpit.  He  formed  his  opinions  quicker,  and  ex- 
pressed them  with  less  hesitation.  He  had  more  wit  and 
humor.  A  man  so  eminent  and  yet  so  approachable  is  very 
rarely  met  with.  My  acquaintance  with  him  commenced 
thus : 

I  had  ridden  fifty  miles  all  alone  to  attend  the  Presby- 
tery, at  which  I  was  to  present  my  first  two  "trial  pieces." 
The  meeting  was  held  in  a  small  country  church.  On  the 
morning  of  the  meeting,  before  the  hour  for  worship  had 
arrived,  I  was  standing  a  hundred  yards  from  the  church, 
near  the  road  which  approached  from  the  direction  of 
Petersburg,  while  several  ministers  and  elders  were  about 
the  door,  conversing  freely;  but  with  none  did  I  feel  suffi- 
ciently acquainted  to  approach  them,  nor  did  one  of  them  ap- 
2)roach  me.  I  felt  lonely  and  low-spirited.  My  "  trial  pieces  " 
were  in  my  pocket,  but  I  almost  wished  they  were  in  the 
fire,  for  I  felt  heartily  ashamed  of  them  and  quite  sm-e  they 
would  not  be  approved. 


46  Dr.  BENJA^^N  H.  Kice. 

AATiile  indulging  these  gloomy  thouglits,  my  attention  was 
attracted  by  an  old-fashioned  sulky,  in  which  sat  a  large, 
dio*nilied -looking  man,  coming  from  the  dh'ection  of  Peters- 
burg.    As  he  approached,  he  slackened  his  pace  and  said : 

"Isn't  that  AVhite?" 

I  rephed  very  promptly,  "Yes,  sii\"  I  knew  who  he  was, 
for  I  had  heard  him  preach  several  times. 

"Well,"  said  he,  "I  know  what  you  are  here  for.  Just 
€ome  and  help  me  with  this  horse,  and  I  will  help  you  with 
jour  trial  pieces  through  Presbytery." 

I  went  to  his  assistance  with  all  promptitude,  greatly 
cheered  by  his  unostentatious  and  kind  salutation.  While 
we  were  taking  the  horse  from  the  sulky  and  hitching  him 
to  the  limb  of  a  tree,  he  said : 

"  I  expect  you  feel  badly.  Have  you  brought  your  '  exe- 
gesis'  and  'critical  exercises'?" 

I  told  him  I  had. 

"Well,  now,"  he  said,  "don't  be  afraid  of  these  preachers 
and  elders;  they  don't  know  half  as  much  as  you  think 
they  do." 

By  this  time  gloom  was  gone,  and  from  that  hour  I  re- 
spected, loved  and  honored  him  with  my  whole  mind  and 
heart. 

A  year  after  this  I  was  licensed  to  preach.  The  Pres- 
bytery that  licensed  me  met  in  Dr.  Rice's  chm^ch,  Peters- 
bm-g.  There  I  preached  my  first  sermon.  When  this  sol- 
emn service  was  over,  as  I  stood  in  front  of  the  church,  Dr. 
Pice  came  up  to  me  and  said : 

"  Well,  the  Presbyter}'  has  opened  your  mouth,  and  now 
I'll  tell  you  what  to  do.  I  am  going  to  the  General  As- 
sembly, and,  as  I  wish  to  stop  at  Princeton,  I  shall  start 
next  week.  Go  over  to  Richmond,  visit  your  friends,  come 
back  to  this  place,  preach  two  or  three  Sabbaths  to  our 
l^eople,  get  you  a  horse,  and,  when  your  time  here  exi)ires, 
go  to  Dr.  James  Jones,  of  Nottoway.     He  will  give  you  and 


Dr.  Benjamin  H.  Rice.  47 

horse  your  board,  and,  ^vitll  three  other  gentlemen  assisting, 
Avill  pay  you  $200  in  money.  Then  go  to  work  with  all  your 
might.  You  will  find  a  good  many  Baptists,  a  great  many 
Methodists,  and  very  few  Presbyterians  in  that  county.  To 
other  denominations  be  kind,  fraternal,  and  strive  only  to 
outpreach^  outprdy  and  outwork  them." 

I  promptly  assented.  The  meeting  of  Presbytery  at  Pe- 
tersburg had  been  followed  by  a  blessing.  A  pleasant  work 
of  grace  Avas  enjoyed.  Thus  my  ministry  was  literal^  begun 
in  a  revival.  It  is  worthy  of  record  that  four  young  ladies 
from  Nottoway,  attending  a  boarding-school  in  Petersburg, 
were  subjects  of  this  work,  but  did  not  join  the  church  until 
they  returned  to  their  homes.  These  were  almost  the  first 
persons  I  admitted  to  the  chm'ch  of  which  I  was  pastor. 
And  lovely  wives,  mothers  and  chiu'ch  members  they  all  made. 
One  of  them  became  the  wife  of  my  successor  in  the  pastor- 
ate of  Nottoway  Church — Rev.  Dr.  Theodorick  Pry  or. 

As  soon  as  Dr.  Rice  returned  from  the  General  Assembly 
he  wrote  me  a  long  letter,  replete  with  advice  and  encourage- 
ment. He  charged  me  to  attend  to  the  poor.  "  Take  care 
of  Christ's  poor,"  he  said,  "  and  he  will  take  care  of  you.  .  . 
It  is  far  better  to  suffer  wrong  than  to  do  wrong.  D.  >n't 
complain.  Don't  talk  of  going  away.  You'll  soon  tliink 
that  your  preaching  is  like  tiying  to  batter  down  a  stone- 
wall with  a  cork  hammer.  But  never  mind.  The  walls  of 
Jericho  were  thrown  down  by  ram's  horns.  You'll  find  a 
famous  race  track  and  jockey  club  in  Nottoway.  Don't 
abuse  them.  Indeed,  never  allude  to  them  in  any  public  ad- 
dress. But  so  preach  and  so  pray,  so  imfold  the  doctrines 
and  provisions  of  the  gospel,  and  so  illustrate  and  enforce 
these  by  your  whole  deportment,  that  the  people  may  be 
gradually  brought  to  see  that,  as  a  source  (.f  present  happi- 
ness, the  gospel  is  infinitely  preferable  to  racing  horses." 
This  is  but  a  brief  and  very  imperfect  sample  of  the  wise 
counsel  he  gave  me. 


48  Drs.  John  H.  and  Benjamin  H.  Eice. 

A  Presbytery  was  soon  held  for  my  ordination  and  instal- 
lation. He  and  my  venerated  preceptor,  Dr.  J.  H.  Eice, 
both  attended.  It  is  not  eas}'  to  express  the  gratification  it 
gave  me  to  have  two  such  men  to  visit  and  cheer  me  at  the 
commencement  of  my  work.  During  my  examination  for 
ordination  a  little  incident  occurred,  which  illustrates  in 
part  the  ditlerence  between  these  two  distinguished  broth- 
ers. Dr.  John  K.  Eice  was  conducting  the  examination  on 
chui'ch  government.  In  the  course  of  it,  with  that  slow  and 
solemn  manner  Avhich  was  peculiar  to  him,  he  said : 

"  Mr.  White,  tell  us,  in  the  fewest  words  possible,  what  is 
the  chief  use  of  ruling  elders  in  our  church." 

The  demand  for  the  fewest  possible  words  caused  me  to 
hesitate.  Embarrassment  began  to  rise,  when  suddenly  his 
brother,  who  was  reclining  in  a  remote  part  of  the  house 
and  seemingly  asleep,  arose  and  said,  with  great  distinct- 
ness : 

"  Tell  him,  to  watch  the  preacher s'' 

This  fully  relieved  my  embarrassment,  and  raised  a  laugh 
all  over  the  house.  -  The  examiner  enjoyed  the  laugh  quite 
as  much  as  anj-body  else,  and  even  apologized  for  framing 
the  question  as  he  did. 

Wingfield  Academy,  in  Diowiddie,  was  one  of  the  many 
places  at  which  I  preached  during  the  first  year  of  my  min- 
istry. The  Fourth  of  July  that  year  came  on  the  Sabbath. 
My  two  excellent  friends,  Hatch  and  Atkinson,  advised  me 
to  make  a  religious  improvement  of  the  day.  I  accordingly 
23reached  with  that  view.  Some  weeks  afterwards,  passing- 
through  Petersburg  to  Eichmond,  I  called,  as  I  always  did 
in  passing,  on  my  valued  friend.  Dr.  Eice.  Soon  after  I 
entered  his  study  he  said:  "I  see  from  a  Petersburg  paper 
that  you  have  been  preaching  a  Fourth  of  July  sermon. 
Knowing  the  ideas  our  writers  for  the  newspapers  generally 
hold  of  eloquence,  I  was  somewhat  grieved  to  find  that  they 
had  spoken  of  your  sermon  as,  in  some  parts,  eloquent.    But 


Dk.  Len.taimin  H.  Rice.  49 

when  I  saw  that  they  had  not  represented  you  as  praying 
eloquently,  I  was  better  pleased.  I  hope  I  shall  never  hear 
of  your  praying-  eloquently,  whatever  other  bad  things  I  may 
hear  of  3'ou." 

I  assured  him  that  I  knew  nothing  of  any  newspaper 
notice  of  my  sermon,  and  that  I  had  never  supposed  I  should 
ever  be  accused  of  eloquence,  in  the  popular  sense  of  that 
term,  either  in  my  sermons  or  prayers. 

Dr.  Benjamin  Rice  was  more  successful  than  his  brother 
in  producing  an  immediate  impression  on  his  hearers. 
Hence  his  preaching  was  more  productive  of  revivals  of  re- 
ligion. It  is  hard,  if  not  impossible,  to  discriminate  in  this 
matter.  Larger  accessions  were  made  at  a  time  to  the  Pe- 
tersburg than  to  the  Richmond  church ;  but  in  a  period  of 
twelve  3-ears  they  increased  very  much  alike.  Both  churches 
were  about  the  same  size  when  the  two  brothers  left  them. 
The  sermons  of  the  elder  brother  operated  more  silently  and 
slowly,  but  no  less  surely.  The  younger  was  eminently  in- 
strumental in  several  extensive  revivals,  the  fruits  of  which, 
after  the  lapse  of  many  years,  have  proved  that  they  were 
genuine  works  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  In  1822  he  preached 
nine  sermons  in  the  Hampden-Sidney  College  Church  con- 
secutively, but  adopted  no  measures  to  ascertain  to  what  ex- 
tent the  word  spoken  had  taken  effect.  After  preaching  the 
last  sermon,  he  appointed  a  praj'er-meeting  to  be  held  on 
the  afternoon  of  the  next  day  in  the  church,  giving  as  a  rea- 
son for  appointing  it  in  the  church,  and  not  at  a  private 
house  or  the  College  chaj^el,  that  no  smaller  building  would 
hold  the  people  who  he  thought  would  attend.  To  us  who 
were  familiar  with  the  small  assemblies  that  ordinarily  met 
for  prayer,  this  seeming  j)rediction  appeared  surprising. 
He  left  early  the  following  morning,  and,  at  the  hour  aj)- 
pointed  for  the  prayer-meeting,  I  left  my  room  in  College  to 
attend  it,  expecting  to  find  but  a  dozen  or  two  present. 
Judge  of  my  sui*prise  when,  coming  out  from  the  College 
4 


50  Dr.  Benjamin  H.  Rice. 

building,  I  saw  a  large  number  of  carriages  and  other  ve- 
biclcs  surrounding  tlie  cburcli,  and,  on  looking  back  to- 
'v^'ards  the  College,  it  appeared  as  if  the  entire  body  of  stu- 
dents were  coming.  The  church  was  filled  to  its  utmost 
capacity.  There  was  no  preacher  present,  the  church  being 
wiihout  a  pastor.  The  worship  was  conducted  by  a  j^ious 
student.  This  work  continued  and  deepened  for  several 
months,  resulting  in  the  addition  of  over  sixty  members  to 
the  church. 

Dr.  Rice's  views  of  the  nature  and  best  means  of  promot- 
ing revivals  were  eminently  sound.  He  was  accustomed  to 
say  that  all  feeling  not  produced  by  clear  apprehensions  of 
God's  truth  was  more  or  less  s^Durious,  and  that  measures 
contrived  to  produce  feeUng  were  dangerous  and  hurtful. 
He  was  opposed  to  much  singing  in  the  presence  of  awak- 
ened sinners,  maintaining  that  the  state  of  mind  of  such 
was  not  suited  to  render  praise  to  God.  They  must  pray, 
repent,  believe,  and  then  they  might  sing.  Nor  did  he 
favor  very  protracted  meetings,  especially  in  congregations 
blessed  with  preaching  two  or  three  times  every  week.  He 
was  urged  to  protract  the  meeting  in  Prince  Edward,  but 
he  persistently  refused,  saying  that,  in  the  nine  sermons  he 
had  preached,  he  had  delivered^  his  message,  and  had  no- 
thing more  to  say  to  that  people  at  that  time. 

I  shall  go  to  my  grave  distinctly  remembering  and  deeply 
feeling  the  impression  of  his  wise  counsels  and  invaluable 
life.  May  it  please  God,  even  at  this  late  day,  to  give  me 
more  of  his  fidelity  and  success  in  Christ's  cause. 

Dr.  Pace,  like  his  brother  in  Richmond,  kept  open  house, 
especially  for  preachers,  generously  entertaining  all  who 
called.  Like  him,  too,  he  was  blessed  with  a  wife  whose 
admirable  manners,  genial  spirit,  good  sense,  and  fluent 
tongue  added  immensely  to  the  attractions  of  his  house. 
But,  unlike  him,  he  had  a  lovely  group  of  sons  and  daugh- 
ters.    One  of  this  group  is  now  Rev.  John  H.  Rice,  D.  D., 


Little  Benjamin  Rice.  51 

of  Mobile,  Ala.  One  of  the  daughters  became  the  wife  of 
Rev.  Mr.  Foreman,  of  Kentucky,  and  another  is  now  the 
wife  of  Rev.  Drury  Lacy,  D.  D.,  of  North  Carolina. 

Of  another  of  this  group  I  must  say  a  word.  I  refer  to 
little  Benjamin.  He  died  at  the  early  age  of  eight  years. 
He  was  a  child  of  rare  endowments.  From  his  third  or 
fourth  year  he  displayed  a  sui'prising  aptitude  to  learn,  and 
an  uncommon  taste  and  even  reverence  for  the  Bible. 

I  have  heard  his  mother  say  that  she  could  control  him 
at  that  early  age  far  more  effectually  with  the  Bible  than 
with  the  rod.  Under  the  latter  he  was  turbulent  and  re- 
bellious to  the  last.  To  the  teachings  of  the  former  he 
bowed  at  once.  She  gave  me  an  amusing  illustration  of 
this.  On  more  than  one  occasion  she  had  chastised  him  for 
striking  his  brother,  but  with  no  good  effect.  At  length 
she  resorted  to  the  Bible.  Turning  to  the  sermon  on  the 
mount,  and  placing  him  on  her  knee,  she  said  : 

"  Now,  Ben,  I  am  going  to  prove  to  you  out  of  the  Bible 
that  it  is  wrong  for  you  to  strike  jour  brother,  even  if  he 
does  strike  you  first." 

She  then  read  and  explained  to  him  these  words :  "  Who- 
soever shaU  smite  thee  on  th}'  right  cheek,  turn  to  him  the 
other  also." 

Ben,  then  only  six  years  old,  listened  with  attention,  and 
even  solemnly.  He  was  evidently  much  perplexed  and  ab- 
sorbed in  thought.  When  his  mother  had  indulged  him  in 
this  for  two  or  three  minutes,  he  looked  up  into  her  face, 
with  a  cormtenance  beaming  with  new  thought,  and  said : 

"Well,  mother,  when  I  let  Archie  strike  me  on  both 
cheeks,  then  I'll  whip  him." 

The  mother  was  now  as  much  perplexed  as  her  little  boy 
had  been  at  the  first  reading  of  the  passage.  But  tliis  early 
reverence  for  the  Bible  displayed  itself  before  and  at  the 
time  of  his  early  death  in  a  way  to  assui'e  his  j^arents  of  his 
abundant  fitness  for  heaven. 


52  Dk.  AVilliam  S.  Keid. 

The  Presbytery  which  hceiised  me  was  moderated  by  the 
Bev.  Wilham  S-  Eeid,  D.  D.,  oi  Lynchburg,  Va.  It  has 
always  given  me  pleasure  to  have  his  name  appended  to  my 
license.  Dr.  Eeid  was  a  man  of  very  prepossessing  person, 
attractive  manners,  well  cultivated  mind,  an  amiable  and 
devout  heart.  He  spent  a  long  and  useful  life  in  Lynch- 
burg, much  of  the  time  connecting  a  school  for  young  ladies 
with  the  duties  of  pastor.  This  school  had  a  wide  reputa- 
tion, which  was  richly  deserved.  It  was  emphatically  a 
Christian  school.  Pupils  were  sent  to  it  from  remote  parts 
of  the  State,  and  many  a  germ  of  a  Presbyterian  church 
was  planted  by  it.  In  the  summer  of  1835  I  made  a  mis- 
sionary tour  through  the  county  of  Southampton.  On  going 
"down  to  Jerusalem,"  the  county  seat,  a  village  of  several 
hundred  inhabitants,  but  in  which  I  learned  there  was  not 
one  Presbyterian  and,  I  think,  but  one  Methodist,  I  put  up 
at  the  hotel  and  commenced  preaching  daily,  morning  and 
evening,  in  the  court-house.  On  the  second  day  of  the  meet- 
ing a  gentleman  called  to  see  me,  gave  his  name  and  said: 

"  I  reside  one  mile  from  the  village,  and  have  come  in  my 
carriage  to  take  you  out  to  my  house.  Neither  my  wife  nor  I 
make  any  pretensions  to  rehgion,  but  she  has  a  great  liking 
for  your  chiu'ch,  and  says  you  must  spend  your  time  wdth  us." 

I  accompanied  him,  and  soon  found  that  his  wife  was  a 
very  sincere  Christian  and  a  very  firm  Presbyterian  in  her 
principles.  After  satisfying  myself  on  these  points,  I  asked 
how  she  had  become  so  decided  a  Presbyterian  in  a  oounty 
in  which  there  was  no  church,  nor  preacher,  nor  even  a  mem- 
ber of  that  church.     She  said : 

"When  I  was  a  girl  I  went  to  school  to  Mr.  Eeid,  of 
Lynchburg;  and,  although  he  never  made  an  effort  to  make 
me  a  Presbj'terian,  his  instructions  and  his  Hfe  combined 
led  to  my  conversion  and  my  choice  of  this  church." 

A  Presbyterian  church  was  soon  organized  in  that  neigh- 
borhood, and  this  lady  became  one  of  its  first  and  best  mem- 


Dr.  William  S.  Reid.  53 

bers.  I  have  letisou  to  know  that  this  was  one  of  many 
cases  more  or  less  aUke.  When  Dr.  Eeid's  great  age  and 
bodily  infirmities  incapacitated  him  for  any  longer  dis- 
charging the  duties  of  pastor,  the  church  retained  him  in 
that  capacity  and  called  the  Eev.  C.  R.  Yaughan,  then  just 
licensed,  to  serve  as  collegiate  pastor.  This  arrangement 
continued  for  several  years — as  long,  indeed,  as  the  old  man 
lived.  Mr.  Vaughan  was  popular  and  useful.  The  extent 
to  which  Dr.  Eeid  esteemed  and  treated  his  young  associate 
as  a  son,  and  to  which  the  colleague  regarded  and  treated 
the  doctor  as  a  father,  was  so  lovely,  so  Christian-like,  as  to 
make  it  worthy  of  record.  As  long  as  his  strength  permitted, 
he  went  regularly  to  church,  always  sitting  in  the  pew  with 
his  family,  and  listening  to  the  sermons  of  his  young  brother, 
not  only  with  the  most  fixed  attention,  but  often  with  tears. 
He  told  me  once  that  he  loved  Mr.  Vaughan  as  he  did  his 
own  sons,  for,  he  added,  "he  has  been  to  me  all  that  a  son 
could  be  to  his  father." 

Dr.  Reid  was  one  of  the  men  who  contributed  so  largely 
to  give  to  the  Presbyterian  Church  its  distinctive  type, 
which,  I  am  thankful  to  believe,  it  retains  to  the  present 
time.     May  the  impress  of  those  fathers  ever  abide ! 


CHAPTER   V. 

1827-1832. 

Shiloh  Church  BurLT,  -  -Feuits  of  Five  Yeaes'  "Woek  in  Notto"wat, 

LUNENBUEG,  AMELIA  AND  DlNWIDDIE.  — JeTEE's  RaCE-TEACK.  — Dr. 

Rice's  Wise  Counsel  to  him  in  Despondency. — Baptists  and 
Methodists. — Maeeiage. — Geneeosity  of  De.  James  Jones. — • 
Uncle  Jack,  "The  Afeican  Peeachee." — Anecdotes  of  him. — 
The  Dying  Infidel. — Encomium  by  De.  Peyoe. 

"  My  own  hope  is,  a  sun  will  pierce 

The  tbicliest  cloud  earth  ever  stretched  ; 
•  That,  after  last,  returns  the  first. 

Though  a  wide  compass  round  be  fetched  ; 
That  what  began  best,  can't  end  worst. 
Nor  what  God  blest  once,  prove  accurst."' 

IN  Nottoway  I  preached  on  two  Sabbaths  of  the  month  at 
a  new  church,  commenced,  but  not  completed,  in  the  up- 
per part  of  the  county — one  Sabbath  in  Amelia,  and  one  at 
Wing-field  Academy,  in  Dinwiddle.  When  a  fifth  Sabbath  oc- 
curred, I  spent  it  in  Lunenburg  or  elsewhere,  as  best  for 
the  cause.  This  was  my  plan  through  the  first  year  of  m}'  min- 
istry. At  the  close  of  that  year,  the  Rev.  John  Barksdale, 
a  man  of  great  worth,  one  year  behind  me  in  the  Seminary, 
took  a  commission  to  labor  in  Amelia.  There  were  then 
only  five  or  six  Presb}i;erians  in  that  county.  These  were 
organized  into  a  church,  very  sinall  to  be  sure,  but,  imder 
Barksdale,  it  grew  rapidh'. 

I  now  confined  myself  to  Nottoway.  Shiloh  Church  was 
built,  and  I  alternated  between  that  in  the  lower  and  the 
Eepubhcan  Church  in  the  upper  part  of  the  county.  [This 
church,  was  built  by  the  energy  and  influence  of  Mr.  "WTiite, 
and  is  still  in  constant  use  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Pryor.     It  stands 

54 


Life  in  Nci'toway.  55 

four  miles  east  of  Blackstone,  on-  the  Norfolk  and  Western 
railroad,  ten  miles  east  of  the  courthouse,  and  five  miles 
from  the  Dimviddie  line.]  During  thr6e- fourths  of  the  year 
I  preached  on  the  afternoon  of  the  day  on  Avhich  worship 
\\as  held  at  "the  Eepublican,'*  at  Little  Creek,  and  in 
the  afternoon  of  the  day  at  Shiloh  I  preached  at  the  "mouth 
of  Cocke's  lane."  These  i^laces  P^r  afternoon  worship  were 
each  eleven  miles  from  the  place  of  the  morning  service. 
"WTiile  this  arrangement  continued,  I  frequently  took  my 
dinner  in  my  pocket,  and  ate  it  as  I  rode.  The  labor  was 
severe,  but  healthful,  and,  I  hope,  useful.  The  church  grcAV 
slowly,  but  surely.  During  the  five  years  of  my  ministry  in 
Nottoway  that  church  increased  to  sixty  members.  A  chui'ch 
had  been  organized  in  Lunenburg  of  twelve  members,  which 
had  increased  to  forty  or  more;  and  the  little  church  gath- 
ered in  Amelia  had  increased  to  about  the  same  number. 
In  Dinwiddle  nothing  of  consequence  was  done. 

^ly  life  in  Nottoway  may  be  characterized  as  one  of  inces- 
sant, but  delightful,  labor.  That  county  had  long  been  cel- 
ebrated for  the  politeness,  refinement,  and  hospitality  of  its 
inhabitants.  But  they  were  deplorably  irreligious.  They 
had  been  affiicted  w-ith  some  of  the  worst  specimens  of  the 
old  English  clergy — men  who  were  leaders  in  fashionable 
dissipation.  One  had  the  misfortune  to  be  visited  by  the 
■wife  he  had  left  in  England,  after  he  had  married  in  this 
country.  The  influence  of  such  men  on  the  cause  of  true 
religion,  and  even  of  sound  morality,  was  bad.  Card-playing, 
horse-raciiig  and  wine-drinking  were  almost  universal  among 
the  higher  classes. 

AYithin  a  few  hundred  yards  of  Shiloh  Church,  where 
Mr.  "White  preached  statedly,  was  Jeter's  race-track.  This 
famous  institution  was  laid  off  about  A.  D.  1822.  The 
wealth,  style  and  beauty  of  old  Virginia  assembled  here 
from  time  to  time.  All  the  distinguished  racers  in  Virginia 
attended,  coming  from  the  Blue  Piidge  on  the  west  to  the 


56  Jeter's  Race-tkack. 

Chesapeake  Ba}^  on  the  east,  and  North  Carohua  line  on  the 
south.  Wm.  R.  Johnston,  "  king  of  the  turf,"  often  attended. 
Jinimie  Junkin  Harrison,  from  Brunswick  county,  used  to 
bring  a  very  fine  stable  of  horses.  All  the  surrounding  coun- 
ties poured  out  their  wit  and  beauty  to  the  races.  Many 
days  were  spent  in  the  most  exciting  forms  of  fashionable 
dissipation,  such  as  cards,  wine,  balls,  and  betting  on  the 
races.  From  182^  to  1842  its  influence  was  immense  upon 
the  morals  of  the  land.  It  began  to  decline  under  the  force 
of  the  truth  preached  by  the  ministers  of  the  different 
churches  ''icJio  loisely  abstained  from  ahusimj  it  in  puhlic" 
Its  owner,  Mr.  Richard  Jones,  was  converted  and  receired 
into  the  church  by  Mr.  White.  Three  of  the  presidents  of 
the  jockey  club  were  converted  and  joined  the  church.  Major 
Hezekiah  R.  Anderson,  one  of  them,  was  received  into  the 
Presbyterian  Church  by  Rev.  Dr.  Pryor.  In  1838  a  revival 
of  religion  in  the  Methodist  and  Presbyterian  churches  gave 
it  the  death-blow.  It  survived  about  four  years,  when  a  tac- 
tuin  de  cado  destroyed  the  judges'  stand.  After  this,  it  was 
reduced  to  cultivation,  and  became  a  thing  of  the  past. 

For  fifty  years,  ending  with  the  year  1825,  the  Presbyte- 
rians almost  wholly  neglected  the  county.  Except  an  occa- 
sional sermon  by  some  such  distmguished  itinerant  as  Rev. 
Dr.  Hill  or  Dr.  Archibald  Alexander,  the  gospel,  as  held  by 
that  church,  was  wholly  unknown.  The  popular  mind  was 
filled  with  mistaken  ^dews  and  prejudices  against  this  church. 
AYlien  I  began  my  ministry  there,  these  met  me  at  every 
turn,  and  for  some  months  such  was  my  want  of  success, 
and  such  the  discouragement,  I  felt  that,  had  it  not  been 
for  the  strong  and  salutary  influence  exerted  over  me  by  my 
excellent  friend.  Dr.  B.  H.  Rice,  I  should  have  left  the  field 
in  utter  despondency  before  the  first  year  had  closed.  But 
in  his  plain,  blunt  style  he  would  say  to  me : 

"Did  the  Presbytery  license  you  that  you  might  seek 
your  ease  and  convenience,  or  that  you  might  play  the  cow- 


Other  Churches.  57 

ai'cl  when  difficulties  or  dangers  threatened  you  ?  Abandon 
this  field,  and  you  will  have  to  confess  that  you  have  failed 
to  answer  the  expectations  of  friends  and  brethren.  One 
f:ulure  always  leads  to  another,  and  you  will  soon  get  the 
name  of  an  unsuccessful  man,  and  your  life  will  end  in  fail- 
ure. Remember  that  the  good  farmer  prefers  any  sort  of  a 
horse  to  one  given  to  backing." 

Deeply  impressed  by  these  thoughts,  I  resolved,  by  the 
help  of  God,  to  succeed  in  my  first  charge  or  perish  in  the 
attempt.  I  carefully  concealed  from  the  people  the  discour- 
agement I  felt,  and  never  so  much  as  hinted  at  a  desire  or 
purpose  to  go  elsewhere.  Even  when  on  the  point  of  going 
away,  I  conversed,  preached  and  labored  as  if  I  expected  to 
spend  my  whole  life  with  them. 

The  Baptists  had  gathered  a  church  in  that  part  of  the 
county  which  borders  on  Prince  Edward  and  Lunenburg; 
but  through  the  centre  and  lower  portions  they  had  done 
nothing.  The  Episcopalians  never  made  an  effort.  Old 
Parson  "Wilkinson,  of  matrimonial  memory,  had  left  behind 
him  an  odor  so  unsavory  that,  with  the  doAvnf  all  of  "  Green's 
church,"  every  vestige  oi  that  sect  disappeared.  I  never 
met  with  man  or  woman  in  the  entire  county  who  even 
professed  to  belong  to  "the  church."  The  service  was 
not  so  much  as  once  read  in  public  during  my  residence 
there. 

The  Methodists  were  the  efficient  and  successful  pioneers 
in  the  work  of  planting  the  gospel.  They  had  spread  and 
w^ere  numerous  over  the  entire  county.  There  was  not  a 
neighborhood  that  had  not  its  chapel  and  class-meeting. 
Many  of  the  most  wealthy  and  intelligent  people  of  the  county, 
whose  early  prepossessions  would  have  inclined  them  to  join 
some  other  church,  had  joined  the  Methodists.  Among 
these  I  found  some  of  my  warmest  personal  friends.  Al- 
though they  made  no  change  in  their  church  relations,  they 
became  constant  attendants  on  my  ministry  when  our  meet- 


58  The  Nottoway  Church. 

ings  and  theirs  did  not  conflict,  and  extended  to  me  and  my 
family  the  most  refined  and  generous  hospitality. 

The  sons  and  daughters  of  some  of  these  good  Methodists 
were  among  the  earliest  additions  to  my  church.  One  of 
them  became  a  yaluable  Presbyterian  minister.  To  such  an 
extent  did  this  proceed  that  in  a  few  years  it  became  very 
common  to  find  the  old  people  of  a  family  Methodists  and 
their  descendants  Presbyterians.  This  couimenccd  with 
four  young  ladies — daughters  of  the  wealthiest  and  most 
intelligent  Methodists  of  the  country — who  had  been  edu- 
cated at  Petersburg,  and  received  their  bias  to  our  church 
chiefly  through  their  connection  with  some  of  Dr.  B.  H. 
Rice's  church.  But  these  things  occasioned  no  ill-feeling. 
No  i^roselyting  was  practiced  on  our  part,  and  no  ofl'ence 
taken  on  the  other  side,  and  hence  all  went  peaceably  on. 

In  the  beginning  my  congregations  were  very  small,  and, 
as  some  thought,  very  cold,  while  those  of  the  Methodists 
were  very  large,  and,  as  all  thought,  (for  it  was  impossible  to 
think  otherwise)  very  warm.  During  the  first  year  my  congre- 
gation, in  the  best  weather,  rarely  amounted  to  fifty ;  while 
their  houses,  close  by  me,  were  overflowing.  I  had  an  occa- 
sional addition  of  one  or  t\\o,  while  they  at  the  same  time 
would  receive  from  fifteen  to  twenty.  They  had  periodical 
excitements  of  great  violence,  called  revivals,  which  gathered 
many  into  the  church,  followed  by  a  reaction  which  ordina- 
rily scattered  as  many  from  the  church.  They  had  neither 
Bible-classes  nor  Sunday-schools.  At  the  outset  we  gath- 
ered one  of  the  latter,  numbering  about  twenty,  and  one  of 
the  former,  numbering  eight  or  ten  scholars.  In  a  few 
years  the  two  churches  became  numerically  equal,  and  ours  in 
other  respectfi  greatly  superior.  In  truth,  considering  the 
sparseness  of  the  population,  the  Nottoway  Church  became 
one  of  the  strongest  and  most  generous  churches  in  our  en- 
tire connection  in  Eastern  Virginia. 

Here  we  met  with  those  best  of  friends,  Dr.  and  Mrs, 


His  Maeriage.  59 

James  Jones,  AVitli  them  we  lived  at  the  time  of  the  birth 
of  our  first  child,  mimed,  at  the  special  request  of  Mrs. 
Jones,  after  her  husband.  Language  fails  to  express  the 
debt  of  gratitude  we  owe  to  those  generous  and  disinterested 
friends.  Without  any  extravagance,  I  may  say  they  were 
both  father  and  mother  to  us. 

Tliey  were  among  the  most  highly-cultivated  persons  in 
this  or  any  other  country.  Their  beautiful  home  was  liter- 
ally the  abode  of  the  most  refined,  intelligent  i^iety,  and  the 
resort  of  many  visitors  likeminded  with  themselves. 

I  failed  to  mention  in  the  proper  place  the  most  auspi- 
cious event  of  my  life,  except  my  conversion  to  God  and  my 
consecration  to  the  work  of  the  ministry — viz.,  my  marriage 
to  Miss  Jane  Isabella,  third  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  George 
and  Margaret  "Watt,  of  the  city  of  Richmond,  Va.  This 
event  took  place  on  the  third  of  October,  1827,  about  four 
months  after  my  labors  commenced  in  Nottoway.  The 
marriage  ceremony  was  solemnized  by  Rev.  Wm.  J.  Arm- 
strong, then  pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Richmond.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  AVatt  were  among  the  first  mem- 
bers enrv)lled  by  Dr.  John  H.  Rice  when  he  organized  this 
church,  and  were  always  regarded  by  him  with  deep  affec- 
tion. 

[Hugh  AYatt,  father  of  George,  died  in  Glenarm,  Antrim 
county,  in  the  North  of  Ireland,  July  24, 1787.  His  daughter 
Elizabeth  had  sailed  for  Philadelphia,  May  15, 1784.  George 
"Watt  sailed  for  Richmond,  July  14,  1790.  Afterwards  he 
returned  and  brought  his  mother  and  family.  His  betrothed, 
Margaret  Dunn,  came  with  the  party.  The  Presbyterians 
in  the  North  of  Ireland  w^ere  then  suffering  persecution  from, 
the  English  government.  Mrs.  "White's  grandmother  was 
buried  in  the  old  church-yard  of  St.  John's,  on  Church  Hill. 
Her  father  and  mother  were  also  buried  there.] 

Mlien  I  retui'ned  to  Mountain  Hall,  after  my  marriage, 
and  presented  my  wife  to  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Jones,  a  stranger 


60  Uncle  Jack. 

might  have  supposed,  from  tlie  reception  given  to  her,  that 
I  was  their  own  son  bringing  to  his  father's  house  a  daughter- 
in-law.  And  as  she  was  received  so  she  was  treated  until 
these  excellent  friends  ended  their  earthly  pilgrimage.  Dr. 
Jones  died  in  the  spring  of  1848,  and  Mrs.  Jones  in  the 
autumn  of  1860. 

To  mention  but  one  of  many  instaiices  of  the  generous 
kindness  received  fi'om  Dr.  Jones,  I  will  state  that,  soon  after 
my  removal  from  Nottowa}^  I  received  a  letter  from  him 
containing  these  words:  "The  amount  I  contributed  to 
your  support  during  your  residence  with  us  was  given  for 
the  sake  of  your  ministrations  in  the  gospel.  I  doubt  not 
you  are  as  actively  employed  in  this  work  now  as  you  were 
when  here.  I  wish,  therefore,  to  contribute  to  your  support 
in  your  new  field  the  amount  I  gave  to  you  as  our  pastor. 
I  have  accordingly  placed  to  your  credit  in  the  Farmer's 
Bank  of  Virginia,  at  Richmond,  $1,000,  the  dividends  on 
which  will  yield  what  I  have  been  accustomed  to  pay  3^ou." 
Thus,  to  this  day,  is  this  faithful  friend,  though  long  since 
dead,  generously  contributing  to  my  support. 

Here,  too,  I  met  with  that  remarkable  man,  familiarly 
called  "Uncle  Jack,"  the  African  preacher,  a  native  of  the 
benighted  continent  of  Africa.  In  1848  I  published  a  bi- 
ography of  this  man,  which  was  examined  and  endorsed  by 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dr.  Jones,  who  had  know^n  him  intimately  for 
more  than  foi-ty  years.  Having  published  already  what  I 
deemed  it  proper  to  say  of  him,  I  only  add  that,  as  I  draw 
nearer  to  the  end  of  my  own  earthly  j^ilgrimage,  I  am  ready 
to  reafl&rm  all  that  I  then  said,  and  to  express  the  firm  and 
ever-strengthening  conviction  that  he  was,  in  many  respects, 
the  most  remarkable  man  I  ever  knew. 

The  Eev.  Dr.  Theodorick  Pryor  relates  the  two  following 
anecdotes  of  this  African  preacher . 

"Talking  with  the  Eev.  John  S.  Watt  on  religious  exj)eri- 
ence,  and  lamenting  the  w^ant  of  satisfactory  evidence  of  his 


Uncle  Jack.  61 

own  conversion  in  a  veiy  melancholy  vein,  he  said:  'How 
can  I  hope,  when  I  see  no  fruit  in  myself  f 

"  Mr.  "Watt  replied :  '  That  cherry  tree  has  no  fruit,  not 
even  leaf  or  flower,  and  yet  we  know  it  lives,  for  it  has  borne 
fruit.' 

'"Ah!  yes,'  responded  the  African  preacher,  'but  I  know 
it  has  a  live  root ;  if  I  could  only  know  that  of  myself !' " 

Suffering  for  Christ. 

"A  band  of  ' lew^d fellows  of  the  baser  sort'  once  arrested 
the  African  preacher  to  punish  him  by  whipping  for  preach- 
ing the  gospel.  They  charged  him  with  many  and  various 
crimes,  and  asked  what  he  had  to  say  for  himself,  when  he 
replied : 

'"The  great  Apostle  to  the  Gentiles  saj^s,  "Five  times  re- 
ceived I  forty  stripes  save  one."  I  have  never  had  the  honor 
of  even  one  stripe  for  my  Master.  You  can  la}"  on  when  it 
pleases  you.' 

"  The}"  were  so  impressed  with  his  evident  sincerity  that 
they  let  him  go." 

\_TIie  African  Preacher.  This  httle  book,  a  16mo.  of  139 
pages,  is  still  for  sale  by  the  Presbyterian  Board  of  Publi- 
cation, in  Philadelphia,  and  being  fresh,  entertaining  and 
wholesome,  will  be  an  addition  to  any  Sunday-school  library. 
Its  wide  diffusion  among  the  freedmen  of  the  South  could 
not  fail  to  produce  the  happiest  results.] 

Incidents  in  the  life  of  a  minister,  at  first  view  apparently 
too  insignificant  for  remembrance,  in  course  of  time  are  seen 
to  have  been  connected  with  results  of  great  importance. 
When  my  ministry  commenced  in  Nottoway  there  was  not 
a  comfortable  house  of  worship  in  the  county.  The  few 
Presbyterians  had  commenced  one  in  the  northern  part  of 
the  county,  but  for  want  of  funds  it  had  not  been  completed ; 
indeed,  it  was  scarcely  fitted  for  occupancy.  In  the  south- 
western section  there  was  a  large  old  chm-ch  edifice,  built 


62  Old  Gp.een's  Church. 

prior  to  the  Eevolution,  for  the  use  of  the  Established  or 
Ej^iscopal  Church.  It  had  been  utterly  abandoned  for  many 
years,  and  was  almost  in  ruins.  Still,  it  contained  a  large 
amount  of  valuable  building  material.  By  removing  rubbish 
and  trees,  which  had  gro-sATi  up  so  as  to  obstruct  entrance 
thi'ough  the  doors,  we  made  it  practicable  to  begin  stated 
worship  there  in  June,  1827.  The  pew^s  were  of  various 
shapes,  but  all  of  immense  depth,  rising  above  the  heads  of 
all  whose  stature  did  not  reach  six  feet.  The  ten  command- 
ments and  the  Apostles'  Creed,  in  yellow  letters,  on  boards 
l^ainted  black,  still  hung  on  one  end  of  the  old  edifice.  The 
pulpit  stood  in  one  side,  octagonal  in  form,  so  small  that 
only  two  gentlemen  could  occup}'  it,  and  that  with  difficulty, 
and  so  high  that  the  preacher  saw  only  the  tops  of  the  heads 
of  those  whose  pews  were  nearest  to  it.  There  was  a  pro- 
jection over  the  head  of  the  preacher,  commonly  called  "  a 
sounding  board."  This  approached  so  near  to  the  head  of 
the  preacher  that  the  sensation  produced  some\^liat  resem- 
bled the  feelings  of  one  who,  enclosed  in  a  hogshead,  was 
attempting  to  preach  through  the  bung. 

The  question  w^as  soon  started,  "  Shall  we  repair  old 
Green's  Church,  or  move  some  four  miles  lower  down  and 
build  a  new  house?"  The  desceEdants  of  the  old  revolu- 
tionary people  strongly  contended  for  repairing.  They  were 
the  aristocracy  of  the  region.  They  held  much  the  larger 
portion  of  the  money.  "Their  fathers  and  grandfathers 
had  worshipped  in  old  Green's  Church."  For  this  reason 
they  would  not  consent  to  abandon  it.  Many  of  the  plainer 
and  poorer  people  lived  below,  and  were  for  building  anew. 
They  plead  that  around  them  there  was  a  dense  population 
who  had  no  means  of  riding,  and  for  this  reason  could  not 
attend  the  old  church.  Besides,  it  would  cost  more  money 
to  repair  the  rjd  than  to  build  a  new  house.  I  agreed  cor- 
dially with  the  latter,  and  exerted  myself  to  the  utmost  in 
support  of  their  views.      But  I  had  been  a  preacher  only 


Old  Green's  Church.  G3 

some  three  or  four  months,  and  had  acquired  but  little  in- 
fluence. And,  then,  among  those  who  contended  for  repair- 
ing there  was  scarcely  one  professor  of  religion  of  an}'-  name. 
Moral  and  religious  considerations,  therefore,  had  no  weight 
with  them,  so  that,  when  I  said  to  them,  you  have  good  car- 
riages and  horses,  and  can  easily  attend  at  the  place  selected 
for  the  new  house,  while  the  people  there  have  no  means  of 
riding,  and  must  be  left  wholly  without  preaching,  they  ex- 
pressed surprise  that  I  should  urge  such  a  motive. 

Meantune  the  summer  had  ended,  and  the  weather  be- 
came too  cold  for  comfort  in  the  old  church.  It  was  impos- 
sible to  build  without  the  money  of  our  ojiponents.  The 
w^hole  matter  was  dropped,  and  I  was  deeply  discouraged. 

But  man's  extremity  is  God's  opportunity.  I  made  a  visit 
that  fall  to  Eichmond.  On  my  return,  and  when  within  a 
few  miles  of  home,  I  met  a  plain  man  in  the  road,  of  whom 
I  enquired  the  news  of  the  neighborhood.  He  said :  ''  All 
the  news  I  know  is,  that  old  Green's  Church  is  burned 
down." 

"Without  reflecting,  I  promptly  replied,  "I  am  glad  of  it." 

"You'd  better  not  say  that,"  said  the  man,  "for  a  good 
many  people  say  that  you  hired  some  one  to  do  it,  and  then 
went  awa}"  to  keep  from  being  caught." 

This  surprised  me.  To  be  charged  with  burning  a  church 
was  a  serious  matter  to  one  of  my  age,  profession  and  con- 
dition. 

But  my  comfort  sprang  from  the  hope  that  the  leading 
people  of  the  county  had  confidence  in  my  veracity,  if  they 
had  no  respect  for  my  talents  or  religion,  and  would  accept 
my  denial  of  the  charge  as  sufficient.  AVith  a  large  majoiity 
of  the  people  this  hope  proved  to  be  well-founded,  and  the 
result  was  that  we  soon  had  the  new  church  in  the  new 
place.  This  was  Shiloh  Church,  near  the  Belmont  race- 
course, of  which  I  shall  have  more  to  say  presently. 


64  Shiloh  Church  Built. 

The  Mystery  Cleared. 

It  may  amuse,  if  it  does  not  instruct  the  reader,  to  add, 
that  after  several  years  had  passed,  the  burning  of  the  old 
church  was  fully  explained.  Within  the  long  period  in 
which  the  church  had  not  been  used  b^^  the  congregation,  an 
old  woman,  by  no  means  noted  for  her  inteUigence,  amiabil- 
ity, or  piety,  had  gotten  exclusive  possession  of  that  spring, 
and  was  greatly  annoyed  at  the  use  of  it  by  the  people.  She 
became  ill,  and,  in  her  alarm  at  the  prospect  of  death,  sent 
for  a  Methodist  minister,  to  whom  she  confessed,  among 
other  sins,  that  of  having  burned  Green's  Church,  pleading 
however,  in  extenuation  of  her  guilt  in  the  matter,  that  she 
^'■Jiad  not  been  able  to  keep  a  water-gourd  at  that  s^iwhig 
since  that  young  man  had  commenced  preaching  there." 

I  have  ah'eady  stated,  that  after  the  burning  of  this  old 
church,  we  commenced  our  efforts  to  secure  the  means  of 
building  a  new  one  several  miles  to  the  east.  The  Bellemont 
Jockey  Club  was  in  vigorous  operation.  Indeed,  it  was  the 
great  institution  of  the  county.  The  owner  of  the  race-field 
kept  a  large  and  attractive  house  of  entertainment.  One 
mile  below  him  there  was  a  much  older  house  of  the  same 
kind,  which  had  long  been  liberally  sustained  by  the  travel- 
ling pubhc.  There  was  no  httle  rivalry  and  jealousy  be- 
tween these  two  applicants  for  public  patronage.  The 
keeper  of  the  older  and  plainer  establishment  was  not  a  re- 
ligious man,  but  he  did  not  sell  spirituous  liquors,  and  he 
hated  horse-racing  and  card-playing. 

I  called  on  this  old  man  for  help  in  building  our  contem- 
plated house  of  worship. 

"Well,"  said  he,  "on  that  jmrt  of  my  land  which  borders 

on  J 's  race-track,  there  is  a  beautiful  site  for  a  chui'ch. 

If  you  will  place  your  building  there,  I  wfll  give  you  an  acre 
of  ground,  covered  with  a  beautiful  grove  of  oaks.  And  I 
will  give  you  besides  $50  in  money." 

This  astonished  and  dehghted  me ;  foi",  small  as  this  con- 


"Working  fdr  Temperance.  65 

tribiition  ir.a}'  seem  now,  it  was  great  tlieii.  It  gave  quite 
an  imi3etus  to  my  enterprise.  It  became  the  subject  of  con- 
versation  in   all   companies,   and  some  were   uncharitable 

enough  to  insinuate  that  "  Old  Capt.  M only  wanted  to 

break  down  his  hated  rival,  Col.  J ,  and  knew  that  the 

most  effectual  way  to  do  it  was  to  build  a  church  as  near  as 
possible  to  his  door."  With  the  motive,  however,  we  had  no 
concern,  but  thankfully  accepted  the  offer,  and  located  the 
church  in  accordance  with  the  old  Captain's  wish. 

Not  many  years  rolled  round  before  the  BeUemont  race- 
track and  hotel  were  in  the  possession  of  a  former  member 
of  the  jockey  club,  but  now  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church ;  the  race-field  converted  into  a  cornfield ;  and  the 
large  hotel  into  a  seminary  for  young  ladies.  Such  is  a, 
brief  history  of  Shiloh  Church,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Notto- 
way county. 

"Working  for  Temperance. 

My  active  labors  in  the  temperance  cause  commenced  in 
the  county  of  Nottoway,  in  1828.  The  extent  to  which 
di'inking  intoxicants  was  carried  on  in  this  county  was  fear- 
ful. "Wine-toddy  and  grog  were  almost  in  as  universal  use 
as  bread  and  bacon.  The  people  were  generous  livers,  hos- 
23itable  to  a  fault. 

I  was  long  in  determining  how  to  commence  operations. 
After  many  conferences  with  about  half  a  dozen  who  favored 
my  pmrpose — among  whom  were  Dr.  James  Jones  and  Dr. 
Archibald  Campbell — I  determined  on  calling  a  pubhc  meet- 
ing. These  gentlemen  promised  to  attend  and  address  the 
meeting.  For  wealth,  intelligence  and  piety,  they  were 
among  the  foremost  men  in  the  county.  The  former  was  a 
leading  Presbyterian  and  the  latter  a  leading  Methodist.  I 
suggested  to  them  the  propriety  of  keeping  the  real  design 
of  the  contemplated  meeting  as  much  of  a  secret  as  possible. 
I  resolved  on  making  the  notice  as  enigmatical  as  I  could; 
so,  after  the  preaching,  I  said, 
5 


6Q  The  Temperance  Cause. 

"  There  is  an  enemy  ranging  through  our  land,  robbing 
and  slaying  our  j)eople  at  a  fearful  rate  ;  and  so  artful  and 
insidious  are  his  movements  that  many  are  robbed  and  even 
slain  by  him  without  once  suspecting  his  designs  or  realiz- 
ing his  power.  Now,  as  neither  the  State  Legislature  nor 
the  National  Congress  will,  or  possibly  can,  take  any  steps 
to  arrest  the  j^rogress  of  this  enemy,  I  give  notice  that  a 
meeting  of  the  people,  male  and  female,  young  and  old,  will 
be  held  on  next  Saturday,  at  Cellar  Creek  Meeting-house,  to 
take  this  matter  into  their  own  hands.  With  a  promise  of 
the  assistance  of  two  of  the  most  distinguished  physicians 
and  politicians  in  the  country,  I  will  then  and  there  make 
fully  known  the  character  and  designs  of  this  invader,  and 
suggest  the  best  means  of  resisting  him." 

Some,  of  course,  knew  what  all  this  meant ;  but  many  did 
not.  Public  cui'iosity  was  greatly  excited,  and  when  the  ap- 
pointed day  came  a  prodigious  audience  met.  The  ladies 
alone  filled  the  house,  while  the  gentlemen  filled  the  yard. 
My  two  friends  and  I  did  our  best  in  the  way  of  speech- 
making.  Good  behavior  and  good  attention  characterized 
the  audience,  but  after  all  a  beggarly  dozen  were  all  who 
could  be  j)re vailed  on  "to  sign  the  pledge." 

A  detail  of  my  efforts  in  this  cause  for  more  than  thirty 
years  would  fill  a  volume.  Scores  of  incidents,  of  illustra- 
tive facts,  might  be  given,  which  would  now  excite  laughter 
and  then  tears  ;  but  I  forbear.  Long  before  "temperance 
societies"  were  known,  Rev.  Drs.  John  H.  and  B.  H.  Eice 
did  immense  good  in  reclaiming  drunkards,  and  saving 
young  men  from. the  demon  of  drunkenness.  This  they  did 
by  voluntarily  abstaining  from  the  habitual  use  of  intoxi- 
cants, and  often  making  gospel  calls  m  their  sermons  to  the 
same  habit.  I  never  heard  the  bitter  consequences  of  in- 
temperance, both  in  this  life  and  the  next,  presented  in  as 
impressive  terms  by  any  professed  temperance  lecturer  as  in 
the  sermons  of  these  great  men. 


Dr.  Theodorick  Pryor's  Estimate.  67 

During  my  residence  in  Nottoway  nothing  like  a  general 
revival  of  religion  occurred  among  our  people.  But  there 
was  an  obvious  and  steady  increase  in  the  knowledge  and 
activity  of  the  members  of  the  church,  and  at  almost  every 
communion  some  additions  or  profession  of  their  faith.  But 
one  case  of  apostacy  occurred,  and  when  I  left  there  was 
not  one  member  of  whose  piety  I  had  reason  to  doubt.  I 
am  convinced  that,  during  the  five  j'^ears  I  labored  there,  our 
permanent  increase  w^as  greater  than  that  of  our  good 
Methodist  brethi'en,  whose  system  of  measures  was  so  differ- 
ent from  ours. 

[Rev.  Dr.  Theodorick  Pryor  writes  of  him  at  this  period 
of  liis  Hfe,  \iz. : 

"  He  married  in  the  fall  of  1827,  and,  with  his  wife,  resided 
at  the  Mountain  Hall — the  then  elegant  homestead  of  Dr. 
James  Jones.  Whilst  pastor  of  the  church  in  Nottoway  .  .  . 
his  labors  covered  the  entire  county,  and  extended  into 
Ameha  and  Dinwiddle.  No  man  could  have  been  more  ac- 
ceptable to  the  community.  Possessed  of  a  highly  cultivated 
mind,  of  a  genial  disposition,  he  was  a  welcome  guest  in 
every  household.  His  pulpit  w^ork  was  of  a  high  order,  very 
attractive  and  deeply  impressive.  When  he  commenced 
preaching  in  Nottoway  county,  he  found  but  few  Presb^'te- 
rians.  "VMien,  in  the  providence  of  God,  he  was  called  away, 
he  left  a  strong  church,  constituted  of  the  very  best  ele- 
ments in  the  communit3\  Personally,  your  father  was  one  of 
my  very  best  friends.  It  was  through  his  influence  that  I 
succeeded  him  in  charge  of  the  Nottoway  Church.  ^Mierever 
I  went  I  found  and  felt  the  savor  of  his  blessed  work.  My 
impression  of  your  father  is,  that,  j^ractically,  he  was  one  of 
the  wisest  men  I  have  ever  known.  ^Miilst  firm  and  decided 
in  his  convictions  and  maintenance  of  the  truth,  he  was  pre- 
eminently conciliatory  in  manner.  When  called  away  from 
the  county,  I  do  not  suppose  he  left  an  enemy  in  it,  or  any 
one  who  was  not  kind  and  respectful  in  feeling  toward  him. 


68  Dr.  Pryor's  Estimate. 

He  conciliated  in  the  very  liigliest  degree  the  affectionate 
esteem  and  love  of  Dr.  James  Jones  and  family,  and,  indeed, 
of  all  the  famihes  with  which  he  was  intimate.  I  cannot 
conceive  of  a  man  better  qualified  to  do  good.  "Wherever  he 
lived  and  labored,  his  work  testified  to  his  worth.  In  con- 
clusion, my  dear  young  brother,  I  have  only  to  say,  that  I 
heartily  wish  the  church  were  now  blessed  with  a  thousand 
WiUiam  S.  Wliites. 

"Youi-s,  in  the  precious  faith  of  the  gospel, 

"ThEODOEICK  PRYOK."] 


CHAPTER   VI. 

Pastokal    Sketches. 

Infidelity  in  Peospect  of  Death. — "Caught  with  Gutle." — Inter- 
ested Heabees.— Antt-Peesbyterianisjm  Cured.  —  "The  Devil 
Theew  Him  Down  and  Tore  Him.  " — Early  Conyersiox  ;  E.  F.  P. ; 
E.  \V.  W. ;  A.  R  ;  A.  H. ;  E.  S.  ;  A.  A.  B. 

EICHAED  HAEDAWAY,  Esq.,  was  one  of  tlie  leading 
citizens  of  Nottoway  county  when  I  went  there  in  1827. 
He  married  the  dau-ghter  of  John  Rutherford,  Esq.,  of 
Richmond.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church ; 
he  a  gentleman,  but  a  skeptic.  Through  the  connection  of 
his  wife  with  my  church  I  made  his  acquaintance.  He  re- 
ceived and  treated  me  hospitably  whenever  I  visited  him, 
but  always  seemed  reserved  and  even  embarrassed  in  my 
presence.  I  readily  perceived  the  cause  of  this,  and  by  de- 
crees succeeded  in  convincing  him  that  a  preacher  of  the 
gosjjel  might  he  a  gentleman.  In  the  summer  of  1829  I 
held  a  meeting  in  a  grove,  near  his  residence,  where  there 
was  no  house  of  worship.  His  attention  was  soon  arrested 
and  fixed,  but  he  exhibited  no  depth  of  feeling  until  the 
congregation  sang,  at  the  conclusion  of  the  last  service, 
H}Tiin  552  of  our  collection — 

"  The  day  of  wrath,  that  dreadful  day,"  etc. 

He  wept  freely,  but  I  purjDOsely  avoided  speaking  to  him. 
I  knew  his  disposition,  and  thought  I  knew  the  treatment 
his  case  demanded.  The  first  ioitelligence  I  had  respecting 
him  was  that  he  was  very  sick,  desired  to  see  me,  but  his 
physicians  objected  to  my  being  sent  for.     His  disease,  how- 


70  The  D-iiNG  Infidel. 

ever,  soon  became  so  violent,  and  his  distress  of  mind  so 
greatj  that  the  doctors  changed  their  minds,  and,  intidels  as 
they  all  were,  of  their  own  accord,  sent  for  me.  When  I 
arrived  I  found  three  in  consultation.  They  said,  "You 
must  do  something  to  quiet  his  mind,  or  medicine  will  do 
him  no  good." 

As  I  entered  his  room  he  looked  wildly  at  me  and  said, 
"You  liLve  come  too  late.  Did  you  ever  read  Dr.  Young's 
account  of  young  Altamont?  My  case  is  precisely  like  his." 
I  replied,  "How  do  you  know  it  is  too  late?"  He  answered, 
"  The  de\il  tells  me  so,  and  I  have  yielded  to  him  so  long 
that  I  must  yield  now.  I  know  there  is  no  mercy  for  such 
a  sinner  as  I  am."  "You  are  a  great  sinner,"  I  repHed, 
"  but  not  so  great  as  Saul  of  Tarsus.  He  was  a  persecutor  and 
a  blasphemer,  and  yet  he  found  mercy.  You  are  not  a  per- 
secutor; you  have  been  friendly  and  polite  to  me  as  a  min- 
ister of  the  gospel."  Here  he  stopped  me  abruptly,  saying, 
"Not  as  a  minister  of  the  gospel;  I  had  no  respect  for  you 
as  such ;  I  treated  you  as  I  did  merely  to  gratify  my  wife, 
and  because  it  would  have  been  disgraceful  not  to  do  so. 
Had  I  lived  when  Saul  of  Tarsus  did,  I  should  have  been  far 
worse  than  he  was.  His  case  affords  me  no  comfort."  I 
then  said  to  him,  "  Remember  the  case  of  the  penitent  thief. 
Even  he  found  mercy,  and  why  may  not  you  V  He  answered, 
"I  find  no  encouragement  from  his  case.  True,  I  am  not  a 
thief  in  the  popular  sense  of  the  term;  but  I  have  stolen, 
yes,  stolen  my  neighbors'  money  at  cards  and  on  the  race- 
field,  and,  what  is  worse,  I  have  rohhed  God ;  yes,  sir,  robbed 
my  Maker.  And  then  my  birth,  education  and  opportuni- 
ties have  been  greatly  superior  to  those  of  that  thief.  He 
probably  never  heard  of  Christ  until  they  met  on  the  cross ; 
he  embraced  the  first  offer  he  ever  had,  while  I  have  heard 
of  and  rejected  him  all  my  life." 

He  then  became  greatly  excited,  avowing  there  was  no 
mercy  for  him ;  that  he  must  perish,  for  he  deserved  it.     I 


The  Dying  Infidel.  71 

then  said,  "There  is  one  thing"  you  can  and  must  do:  you 
can  pray."  " No,  no  I"  he  rephed ;  "prayer  in  me  now  would 
be  bhisiliemy."  Then  said  I,  "May  I  pray  for  j^ou?"  He 
aus-v\ered  very  promptly,  "No,  sir;  even  your  prayers  could 
not  avail  ior  me  now." 

I  then  said^  "You  say  j'ou  have  been  an  infidel.  Are  you 
one  still  ?"  He  answered,  "By  no  means.  If  I  had  but  one 
breath  to  draw,  I  would  spend  that  breath  in  renouncing  it. 
I  firmly  believe  that  the  Bible  is  the  word  of  God,  and  that 
I  must  sutler  all  it  threatens."  I  replied,  "You  said  just 
now  that  the  devil  told  you  that  there  was  no  mercy  for  you; 
that  it  was  too  late  for  you  to  pray,  etc.  Now,  listen  to  me 
for  a  moment.  The  Bible  says  'the  devil  is  a  liar.'  It  also 
says,  'Ask,  and  ye  shall  receive.'  Which  will  you  believe, 
God  or  the  devil  ?"  After  a  very  solemn  pause  he  said,  "  I  will 
beheve  God  and  pray."  He  then  closed  his  eyes  and  clasped 
his  hands,  and  offered  audibly  a  brief,  but  earnest  and  most 
appropriate  prayer.  When  he  closed,  I  said,  "  Shall  we  now 
pray  for  you?"  Several  of  his  near  relatives  were  present. 
He  replied,  'If  you  please."  We  knelt  and  prayed.  He 
was  veiy  calm.  I  left  the  room  in  search  of  his  j)hysicians. 
They  had  remained  under  the  magnificent  elms  which 
shaded  the  yard.  They  plead,  as  an  apology  for  doing  so, 
the  intense  heat  of  the  weather.  They  saw  him,  and  ex- 
pressed gratification  at  his  composure.  I  remained  through 
the  day,  and  from  time  to  time  had  brief  interviews  with 
him.  He  now  received  the  teachings  of  the  gospel  as  a  lit- 
tle child.  I  spent  much  time  with  him  during  the  three 
following  weeks.  Even  his  doctors  said  that,  if  his  mind 
could  have  been  thus  quieted  a  few  days  sooner,  he  would 
have  recovered.  He  died  in  three  weeks,  giving  as  full  proof 
of  conversion  as  a  sick  and  dying  man  could.  One  of  these 
physicians,  a  young  man,  abandoned  the  practice  of  medi- 
cine and  became  a  preacher  of  the  gospel. 


72  Pastoral  Sketches. 

"Caught  with  Guile." 

Mrs.  Dr.  E.  S.,  of  N.,  was  the  vv^ife  of  a  young  and  rising 
physician,  and  had  been  reared  and  educated  with  great 
care,  and  held  a  high  social  position  in  one  of  the  best  com- 
munities in  the  State. 

Unfortunately,  neither  Mrs.  S.,  nor  her  husband,  was  a 
professor  of  religion.  Both,  however,  were  constant  and 
most  respectful  attendants  on  my  ministry,  and  among  my 
most  generous  supporters.  So  far  as  she  had  enjoyed  any 
religious  training,  it  had  been  of  a  sort  to  fill  the  mind  with 
erroneous  views  of  the  Calvinistic  in  contradistinction  to  the 
Arminian  creed.  Her  extreme  i^oliteness,  however,  restrained 
her  from  any  expression  of  those  views  in  my  presence.  But, 
after  our  acquaintance  had  continued  for  several  months,  she 
one  day  addressed  a  mutual  friend  of  ours  substantially  thus: 
''I  like  Mr.  and  Mrs.  White  very  much,  and  shall  take  great 
pleasure  in  hearing  him  j)reach  so  long  as  he  refrains  from 
the  discussion  of  predestination;  but  if  he  ever  introduces 
those  topics  with  a  view  to  propagate  them,  I  shall  cease  to 
attend  his  chui'ch." 

On  being  told  this,  I  gave  some  evasive,  but  kindly,  re- 
ply, but  at  the  same  time  set  my  wits  to  work  to  determine 
on  the  wisest  course  to  be  taken  on  such  a  subject  with  such 
a  lady.  The  judgment  must  not  only  be  convinced,  but 
prejudice  must  be  removed  and  kind  feehng  preserved.  To 
do  this  an  expedient  was  adoj^ted  which  some  may  think  of 
doubtful  propriety. 

The  Bev.  Dr.  Matthews  had  published  in  TJie  Southern 
Heligious  Telegraph  a  series  of  letters  on  "The  Divine  Pur- 
pose," which,  I  knew,  IMi's.  S.  had  never  seen.  These  letters 
had  been  recently  republished  in  a  small  volume.  Now,  I 
thought  that  this  little  book  was  the  very  thing  for  my  Ar- 
minian friend;  but  how  to  aj^proach  her  was  the  question. 
She  had  carefully  refrained  from  making  her  sentiments 
known  to  me,  and  could  have  no  susj)icion  that  I  had  heard 


Pastoral  Sketches.  73 

"Nvliat  «lio  said  to  our  mutual  friend.  I  suspected  that  some- 
tliiu^^  more  than  pohteness  had  led  to  her  reticence  ;  for  she 
was  a  lady  of  uncommon  candor,  expressing  her  opini(^ns  on 
all  other  subjects  with  great  freedom.  My  course  soon  ap- 
peared i^lain.  I  said  to  my  wife,  "Suppose  we  go  and 
spend  the  night  with  our  good  friends,  Dr.  and  Mrs.  S."  She 
consented,  and  I  armed  myself  with  a  copy  of  Dr.  Matthews' 
httle  book.  AVe  were  received  with  great  cordiahty,  and 
treated  with  elegant  hospitaUty.  The  evening  was  passed 
in  free  and  j^leasant  conversation  on  general  topics,  social, 
literary,  and  even  religious ;  but  I  carefully  avoided  any  al- 
lusion to  the  hated  doctrines.  When  the  hour  arrived  for 
leaving,  on  the  next  day,  I  went  to  our  room,  took  my  little 
book  from  the  trunk,  and  thus  soliloquized : 

"If  I  go  away  without  some  honest,  earnest  effort  to  re- 
move from  the  mind  of  this  good  friend  the  prejudices  which 
now  exclude  from  it  the  truth  of  God,  I  shall  be  very  cul- 
pable; but,  then,  in  seeking  to  remove  prejudices  of  one 
sort,  I  may  implant  others.  If  she  suspects  me  of  a  pur- 
pose to  make  her  a  Calvinist,  I  may  lose  the  influence  God 
has  evidently  given  me  over  her.  I  must  aj^proach  her  in- 
directly." 

Now,  ]\Irs.  S.  was  not  only  a  highly-cultivated  and  refined 
hidy,  but  a  care- taking,  skillful  housekeeper,  and  I  felt  sure 
that,  as  soon  as  we  left,  she  would  go  to  our  room,  to  see  if 
we  had  forgotten  anything;  so  I  opened  my  little  book,  and, 
turning  it  down  upon  a  table  so  as  to  make  the  impression 
on  her  mind  that  I  had  read  just  to  that  place,  I  purposely 
forgot  itj  and,  breathing  a  prayer  that  God  would  own  the 
expedient,  we  returned  home. 

This  was  early  in  the  week.  On  the  following  Sabbath  I 
preached  Christ  the  only  Saviour  as  f uUy  and  faithfully  as  I 
could.  I  had  not  proceeded  far  -^^ith  my  discom-se  when  I 
made  the  discoveiy  that  my  friend,  Mrs.  S.,  was  giWng  un- 
usual attention,  and  before  I  closed  she  wept  freely.     She 


74  Pastor-il  Sketches. 

was  not  given  to  wee2:)ing,  and  this  f.ict  increased  my  en- 
com-agement.  Strange,  and  even  censurable,  as  it  may 
seem  to  some,  when  the  worship  was  over,  I  avoided  speak- 
ing with  her,  but  hurried  out  of  the  church  by  one  door  as 
I  saw  her  passing  through  another.  She  was  a  lady  of  too 
much  intelligence  and  too  much  commendable  pride  to  ba 
willing  to  be  made  a  gazing  stock  for  others ;  and  then  I 
knew  that  I  could  say  nothing  more  apj)ropriate  to  her  than 
much  I  had  already  said  in  the  sermon.  All  she  now 
needed  was  time  and  opportunity  to  think  and  pray  alone. 

My  purpose  was  to  visit  her  early  on  Monday.  Accord- 
ingly, I  had  no  sooner  taken  my  breakfast  than  I  set  out  for 
this  purpos3      She  met  me  in  the  porch,  and  said: 

"I  had  just  called  a  servant  to  send  for  you  as  I  saw  you 
alight  from  your  horse.     I  am  a  miserable  sinner." 

As  we  entered  the  house  together,  I  asked  her  how  she 
had  made  the  discovery.     She  said  in  reply : 

"  Yi)u  remember  the  last  visit  you  and  Mrs.  White  paid 
us.  When  you  left,  you  forgot  the  book  j^ou  had  been  read- 
ing, and,  being  interested  in  the  title,  I  commenced  reading 
where  you  had  finished.  My  attention  was  at  once  arrested, 
and  I  determined  to  begin  at  the  beginning  and  read  the 
book  through.  This  I  have  done  twice  from  the  beginning 
to  the  end,  and  portions  I  have  read  three  or  four  times.  It 
not  only  removed  my  objections  to  the  doctrine  of  election, 
but,  when  this  was  done,  I  at  once,  and  distinctly,  saw  that 
I  was  a  lost  sinner.  The  sermon  yesterday  only  deepened 
this  conviction." 

I  need  only  add  that  she  sood  became  a  member  of  the 
church,  and  lived  and  died  a  firm  Presbyterian  and  a  con- 
sistent Christian. 

Interested  Hearers. 
In  the  summer  of  1829  I  went  as  one  of  a  committee  of 
Presbytery  to  ix.^Q  part  in  the  organization  of  a  Presbyte- 


Pastoral  Sketches.  75 

riau  cliiu'cli  in  the  county  of  L.  There  was  no  house  of 
worship  at  all  adcHjuate  to  the  accommodation  of  the  large 
congregation- -especially  on  the  Sabbath.  Accordingly  we 
pre.-u'hed  in  a  grove.  It  devolved  on  me  to  preach  on  Sab- 
bath morning.  The  congregation  was  immense.  The  wind 
blew  freely  in  my  face,  and  the  tramping  and  neighing  of 
the  horses  tied  to  the  trees  made  it  very  doubtful  whether  I 
could  be  heard.  To  determine  this  question  I  fixed  my 
eyes  upon  a  man  who  stood  leaning  against  a  tree  more  re- 
mote from  where  I  stood  than  any  other  hearer,  and  con- 
cluded that  if  I  kept  his  attention  I  might  be  satisfied  that 
the  rest  heard  me.  He  seemed  so  attentive  that  I  was  not 
only  convinced  that  he  heard  me,  but  hoped  that  he  heard 
to  some  good  purpose.  When  the  worship  was  over,  it  so 
happened  that  in  riding  away  I  fell  in  with  this  very  man. 
I  had  no  acquaintance  with  him,  but  recognizing  him  as  the 
man  who  leant  against  the  tree,  I  asked  him  if  he  were  not 
the  man.  He  replied  that  he  was.  "I  am  glad  to  meet 
you,"  I  said,  "especially  as  I  desire  to  know  whether,  stand- 
ing so  far  off,  you  heard  me."  "  Oh,  yes,"  he  said,  "I  heard 
every  word,  and  I'll  tell  you  w'hat  I  was  thinking  about."  I 
replied : 

"I  shall  be  glad  to  know  w^hat  your  thoughts  were," 
hoping  to  discover  that  some  good  impression  had  been 
made  on  him;  and  added,  "do  tell  me  candidly  just  what 
you  were  thinking  about." 

'■  AVell,"  he  said,  "I  w^as  thinking  all  the  time  you  were 
preaching  that  your  lungs  must  be  made  of  tchite-oak.'' 

"My  dear  sir,"  I  replied,  "I  am  deeply  grieved  to  find 
that  you  were  thinking  of  my  limgs  and  not  of  your  oicn 
soul.'' 

Some  further  conversation  convinced  me  that  the  tree 
against  which  he  leaned  had  as  wakeful  a  conscience  as  he 
had.  And  yet  he  seemed  not  to  lose  one  word  of  the 
sermon. 


76  Pastoral  Sketches. 

Toung  preachers  are  often  sadly  mistaken  in  the  judg- 
ment they  form  of  the  interest  manifested  by  their  hearers 
in  their  preaching. 

Anti-Presbyterianism  Cured. 

Another  incident,  which  occurred  at  the  same  meeting, 
may  be  worth  relating. 

Just  as  I  had  mounted  my  horse  to  leave  the  ground,  my 
attention  was  attracted  by  a  group  of  gentlemen,  whose  dress 
and  manners  convinced  me  that  they  belonged  to  the  best 
class  of  citizens — I  mean  the  wealthiest,  most  intelligent 
and  influential.  In  the  centre  of  the  group  one  stood  who 
seemed  to  be  addressing  the  rest  in  a  very  earnest  and  im- 
passioned style.  He  smote  the  j)alm  of  one  hand  with  the 
fist  of  the  other,  accompanying  the  action  with  words  I 
could  not  hear,  but  which  evidently  expressed  much  ear- 
nestness and  some  anger.  This  gentleman  was  W.  O.,  Esq., 
a  prominent  lawyer  and  a  man  of  great  influence. 

A  few  days  after,  I  met,  in  the  house  of  a  friend,  one  of 
the  gentlemen  to  whom  he  was  speaking.  I  said  to  him  plea- 
santly, "Our  friend,  Mr.  O.,  seemed  to  be  preaching  at  the 
close  of  our  late  meeting  almost  as  earnestly  as  I  had  done 
during  its  progress.  I  do  not  wish  to  be  impertinent  nor  to 
tempt  you  to  violate  the  rules  of  good  breeding,  but  if  you 
do  not  object,  I  should  be  gratified  to  know  what  interested 
him  so  deeply." 

"There  is  no  impropriety,"  he  replied,  "in  telling  you. 
To  be  perfectly  candid,  I  think  he  would  be  pleased  for 
me  to  tell  you.     The  substance  of  his  speech  was  this: 

"  'I  am  resolved  to  spare  neither  time,  effort,  nor  money,  to 
keep  these  Presbyterians  from  getting  a  foothold  in  L.  For 
this,  among  others,  I  have  two  reasons — viz. :  1.  They  are 
shrewd,  smart,  meddlesome  people.  Their  preachers  espe- 
cially are  educated  men,  and  on  this  account  the}"  asj)ire  to 
be  the  equals  of  the  first  gentlemen  in  the  community,  and 


Pastoral  Sketches.  77 

accordingly  they  meddle  with  the  opinions  and  claim  the 
right  of  rebuking  the  social  habits  of  all  classes  of  people. 
2.  If  they  once  become  estabUshed  here,  you  will  never  be 
able  to  dislodge  them.'" 

I  simply  replied,  "Tell my  good  friend,  Mr.  O.,  that  I  live 
in  the  adjoining  county  where  he  practices  law;  that  I  hve 
very  near  to  'the  court-house,  and  when  he  comes  to  N.  com't 
I  shall  be  very  glad  to  see  him  at  my  house." 

A  missionary  was  sent  to  take  charge  of  this  newly  organ- 
ized church,  and  w^ithin  less  than  twelve  months  my  friend, 
Mr.  O.,  became  a  member,  and  in  less  than  twelve  months 
more  a  ruling  elder  in  the  church,  the  organization  of  which 
•had  so  provoked  him.  He  hved  to  serve  the  church  with 
great  fidelity  for  many  years,  and  died  deej)ly  lamented  by 
an  extensive  circle  of  friends  and  brethren. 

As  young  ministers  should  not  readily  be  elated  by  favor- 
able, so  they  should  not  be  readily  discouraged  by  unfavor- 
able appearances.  Indeed,  the  manifestation  of  opposition 
is  often  the  way  in  which  an  awakened  conscience  first  dis- 
plays itself.  It  is  nothing  but  a  desperate  efibrt  to  silence 
by  violence  the  first  whisperings  of  conscience.  Mr.  O.  con- 
fessed that  this  was  the  case  with  him,  and  that  his  own 
speech  did  more  that  day  to  convince  him  of  the  native  de- 
pravity of  his  heart  than  the  preaching 

"The  De\t:l  TmiEW  mivi  Down  and  Tare  mn." 
Mrs.  M.  P.  was  the  wife  of  a  physician  in  the  county  of 
A.  She  was  young,  accomplished,  and  beautiful.  Neither 
she  nor  her  husband  was  a  professor  of  religion.  He  w^as 
well-bred,  intelligent,  and  skillful  in  his  profession,  but  was 
an  undisguised  skeptic,  and,  on  some  occasions,  a  scoffer. 
She  had  been  reared  under  religious  influences,  but  was,  to 
all  api^earances,  wholly  unconcerned  as  to  her  spiritual  in- 
terests, and  extravagantly  gay.  On  one  occasion  I  preached 
at  night  to  a  small  audience  in  a  private  house  near  their 


78  Pa!5toral  Sketches. 

residence.  ]Mrs.  P.  attended  this  service,  accompanied  by 
two  gay  young  ladies  who  were  visiting  her.  The  doctor 
decHned  going,  although  urged  by  ladies.  They  plead  their 
want  of  an  escort,  but  he,  in  reply,  plead  that  the  distance 
was  short,  and  the  carriage-driver  everyway  trustworthy. 

I  closed  my  sermon  with  an  earnest  request  that  each  of 
my  hearers  would  consent  to  spend,  on  their  return  home, 
fifteen  minutes  in  secret  meditation  and  prayer.  I  urged 
that  this  was  a  very  small  portion  of  the  entii'e  day  and 
night  thus  to  devote  jto  God. 

As  the  three  ladies  rode  home,  Mrs.  P.  asked  her  two 
young  friends  if  they  intended  to  comply  with  my  request. 
They  answered  j^i'oiiiptly  in  the  negative,  and  laughed 
heartily  at  her  asking  them  such  a  cj[uestion.  She  replied, 
"with  much  solemnity,  "I  think  the  request  very  reasonable, 
and  intend  to  comply  with  it."  On  reaching  home,  Mrs.  P. 
at  once  withdrew  to  a  room  in  a  remote  j)art  of  the  house, 
and  kneeling,  attempted  to  pray.  The  attempt  greatly  in- 
creased her  concern.  In  a  few  days  she  rested  peacefully 
on  Christ,  and  avowed  her  purpose  to  consecrate  herself  to 
his  serAdce.  I  visited  her  in  the  earlier  stage  of  her  awak- 
ening, and  was  highly  gratified  with  her  intelligence  and 
firmness.  She  then  very  modesth'  intimated  her  fear  that 
her  husband  would  be  offended  at  her  course.  She  said  he 
had  thus  far  exhibited  no  ill-temper,  but  only  sought,  as  he 
expressed  it,  to  "laugh  her  out  of  her  fanaticism." 

After  a  few  weeks  I  received  a  note  from  her,  desiring  me 
to  visit  her,  stating  that  she  w^as  in  the  deepest  distress.  I 
hastened  to  her  house  and,  to  my  great  surprise,  found  her 
closely  confined  to  her  chamber,  with  her  first  and  only 
child — some  ten  months  old — in  her  arms.  As  I  entered 
the  room  she  wept  profusel}',  and  said,  "  O  Mr.  AVhite,  I 
am  a  ruined  woman."  She  said  no  more,  but  continued  to 
utter  cries  that  pierced  the  heart  like  daggers. 

After  a  few  words  of  instruction,  followed  by  prayer,  she 
became  calm,  and  told  me  her  stor3\ 


Pastoral  Sketches.  79 

She  said :  "  My  dear  husband  first  tried  to  shake  my  faith 
by  ridicule,  then  argument,  and  then — I  am  afraid  to  utter 
it — he  tried  vic^lence.  Two  nights  ago  he  retired  early,  and 
when  I  came  to  the  chamber  I  thought  he  was  soundly 
asleep.  Having  read  my  accustomed  jDortion  of  Scripture, 
I  knelt  at  my  chair  to  offer  prayer.  I  was  soon  startled  by 
his  voice,  and  still  more  so  by  his  springing  out  of  bed,  and 
seizing  me  around  the  waist,  placed  me  on  my  feet  directly 
before  him.  Then,  looking  at  me  sternly,  as  I  trembled 
and  wept,  he  said,  *I"bw  must  quit  this  nonsense,  or  Jvnll 
quit  you.'  I  at  once  felt  as  if  I  were  sustained  in  a  way  I 
could  not  explain,  and  said,  '  You  are  my  husband ;  as  such 
I  love  you  dearly,  and  if  you  will  give  me  the  opportunity,  I 
think  I  can  convince  you  that  my  becoming  a  Christian  will 
not  cause  me  to  love  3'ou  less,  but  help  me  to  love  yo-a  a  great 
deal  more.  JBut  Jesus  Christ  is  my  Saviour,  and  if  you 
force  npo)i  me  the  alternative,  I  cannot  deny  him'  He  then 
left  the  room  abruptly,  ordered  his  horse  and  sulky,  packed 
his  trunk,  and  left.  I  have  neither  seen  nor  heard  from 
him  since.     Oh  !  my  friend  and  pastor,  tell  me  what  to  do." 

Her  statement  affected  me  deeply,  and  yet  I  could  not  re- 
frain from  answering  hopefully,  and,  almost  humorously, 
said:  "I  know^  Dr.  P.  very  well.  He  is  a  gentleman  and  a 
fond  husband  and  father,  and  he  had  a  very  pious  mother, 
and  is  the  child  of  many  prayers.  Rest  assured  that  he 
will  not  go  far  nor  remain  long  absent."  Having  again 
joined  her  in  prayer,  I  left  her  much  more  tranquil  and 
hopeful. 

I  heard  nothing  from  her  during  the  remnant  of  that 
week.  But  on  the  ensuing  Sabbath,  as  I  went  to  the  pulpit, 
I  saw  Mrs.  P.  sitting  near  the  centre  of  the  church,  and,  as 
I  arose  to  commence  worship,  I  saw  him  sitting  very  near 
the  door.  His  countenance,  at  that  distance,  seemed  to  in- 
dicate rap-e  rather  than  repentance,  and  strange  emotions 
were  awakened  by  the  apprehension  that  he  had  come  for 


80  Pastoral  Sketches. 

some  bad  purpose.     It  was  impossible  to  refrain  from  look- 
ing at  liim  often  during  the  sermon. 

My  text,  I  well  remember,  was,  "  How  shall  we  escape  if 
we  neglect  so  great  salvation  ?"  In  the  course  of  the  ser- 
mon I  said,  if  mere  neglect  may  prove  fatal  to  the  soul,  then 
who  can  conceive,  much  less  describe,  the  doom  of  those  who 
make  open  and  even  violent  opposition  to  the  gospel.  Just 
then  I  purposely  averted  my  eyes  from  him  for  obvious 
reasons.  Nor  did  I  observe  him  again  until  the  benediction 
was  pronounced  and  the  people  had  commenced  slowly  leav- 
ing the  house. 

Then  I  saw  him  approaching  the  pulpit,  with  a  counte- 
nance which,  to  me,  seemed  terrific.  I  descended,  and 
placed  myself  in  front  of  the  pulpit,  resolved  to  meet  the 
issue,  whatever  it  might  be,  with  the  utmost  coolness. 
When  he  had  approached  very  near  he  raised  both  arms, 
then,  bringing  them  down  slowly,  rested  one  on  each  of  my 
shoulders  and  sunk  to  the  floor,  exclaiming,  with  a  loud 
voice,  as  he  fell,  "  Oh !  tell  me,  sir,  if  there  is  one  drop  of 
mercy  in  all  heaven  for  such  a  sinner  as  I  am." 

This  was  heard  in  the  yard,  and  the  people  came  hasten- 
ing back  into  the  house.  A  highly  intelligent  and  excellent 
Methodist  lady,  Mrs.  F.,  commenced  shouting,  and  we  were 
on  the  borders  of  a  terrific  storm.  Raising  my  voice  to  its 
utmost  pitch,  I  called  on  all  to  be  silent ;  and  there  wa«5  at 
once  j)erfect  silence,  save  suppressed  sighs  and  groans  that 
came  from  every  part  of  the  house. 

I  then  called  two  of  the  elders  by  name  to  come  to  me. 
They  did  so  promptly,  and  we  raised  the  Doctor  from  the 
floor  and  seated  him  on  a  bench.  He  made  no  noise,  but 
his  face  w^as  livid,  and  his  whole  frame  shook  with  emotion.  I 
sat  beside  him  and  said,  "My  dear  friend,  get  home  as  soon 
as  you  can,  and  I  will  go  with  you."  With  a  tremulous  voice 
he  said,  with  peculiar  emphasis,  "Will  you  go  home  with 
7ne?"   '  'Assuredly  I  will,  and  with  the  utmost  pleasure. "  Each 


Pastoral  Sketches.  81 

of  tlie  two  elders  supported  liim  out  of  the  house.  We  found 
his  wife  awaiting  us  at  the  door,  bathed  in  tears  and  attended 
by  several  ladies,  -who  had  wisely  kopt  her  from  coming  to 
us  at  the  pulpit,  and  were  kindly  endeavoring  to  quiet  her 
ners'es  and  compose  her  mind.  I  accompanied  them  home 
and  spent  the  night. 

I  shall  n;)t  attempt  any  recital  of  what  then  transpired, 
further  than  to  say  that  he  found  no  peace  of  mind  for  sev- 
eral days.  But  at  length  his  peace  became  like  a  river,  and  in 
a  few  weeks  both  he  and  his  wife  appeared  before  the  ses- 
sion together,  were  received  into  the  church,  and  became 
exemplary  and  useful  servants  of  Christ. 

Early  Conversion. 
E.  F.  P.  died  at  the  age  of  ten  years  and  seven  months. 
She  lost  her  mother  at  the  early  age  of  three  years.  Her 
parents,  being  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  she 
•was  dedicated  in  baptism  to  Christ  while  an  infant.  Her 
father  was  faithful  in  doing  what  he  could  to  supply  the 
loss  occasioned  by  her  mother's  death.  This  greatly  en- 
deai'ed  him  to  the  child,  and  the  child  to  him.  Her  fond- 
ness for  her  father  was  extreme.  She  studied  his  comfort, 
not  only  obeying  all  his  commands  prompth^  and  cheerfully, 
but  in  contriving  whatever  she  could  to  make  him  happy. 
She  read  her  Bible  a  great  deal,  and  never  seemed  happier 
than  when  reading  it  to  him.  She  also  read  her  Sabbath- 
school  books  with  much  eagerness,  and,  after  reading  them, 
would  repeat  their  contents  to  her  father.  This  she  could 
do  with  much  accuracy.  She  was  tenderly  attached  to  her 
Sabbath-school  teacher.  When  she  became  ill,  she  asked 
that  this  teacher  should  be  sent  for,  and  said,  "If  she  doe& 
not  get  here  before  I  die,  give  her  my  love,  bid  her  farewell, 
and  tell  her  to  meet  me  in  heaven."  She  sent  a  similar 
message  to  her  classmates.  She  expressed  a  wish  to  see  her 
pastor.  He  hastened  to  her  bedside,  and  is  free  to  declare 
6 


82  Pastoral  Sketches. 

that  her  state  of  mind  and  heart  evinced  itself  in  expressions 
that  -were  wouderful.  She  spoke  in  most  appropriate  lan- 
guage of  Christ's  great  love  for  her,  and  of  her  love  for  and 
reliance  upon  him.  She  was  confident  that  she  would  die 
and  go  to  heaven.  When  asked  why  she  felt  so  confident, 
she  said:  "Christ  is  in  heaven.  When  he  w^as  on  earth  he 
said,  *  Suffer  little  children  to  come  unto  me ';  and  I  am  sm^e 
that  I  want  to  go  to  him  more  than  anything  else." 

So  considerate  was  she  of  the  comfort  of  her  father  and 
others,  that  she  w^ould  often  decline  even  necessary  services 
to  avoid  giving  them  trouble. 

Looking  round  upon  those  in  the  room,  she  said,  "If  I 
have  done  wrong  to  any  of  you,  I  hope  you  wdll  forgive  me  " 
She  made  a  careful  distribution  of  certain  little  articles  be- 
longing to  her  among  her  brothers  and  sisters,  and  bade 
them  all  a  calm  and  affectionate  farew^ell. 

Her  disease  was  very  violent,  and  her  bodily  sufferings 
very  great;  yet  she  not  only  never  uttered  a  murmuring 
wxord,  nor  exhibited  the  least  restlessness,  but  seemed 
throughout  perfectly  hapi:>y. 

I  received  this  little  girl's  parents  into  the  church,  buried 
her  mother,  baptized  and  then  buried  her.  She  was  truly 
a  precious  lamb  of  the  great  and  good  Shepherd.  Borne  in 
his  arms  along  the  banks  of  the  river  of  life  and  beneath 
the  shade  of  that  tree  whose  leaves  are  for  the  healing  of 
the  nations,  she  is  safe  and  happy  forever. 

Instead  of  being  surj^rised  that  children  are  converted  so 
early,  if  the  covenant  was  duly  considered  and  duty  duly 
performed,  the  surprise  should  be  that  many  more  are  not 
thus  converted. 

E.  W.  AV.  seemed  to  be  pious  at  nine  years  of  age.  At 
that  early  age  her  father  found  her  alone  in  her  mother's 
chamber  reading  the  Bible  with  great  ap]:)arent  interest. 
He  said  to  her,  "My  daughter,  do  you  love  to  read  the 


Pastoral  Sketches.  83 

Bible?"  "Yes,  sir;  very  much,"  was  her  reply.  He  added, 
*'Can  you  tell  me  why  you  love  it?"  She  paused  awhile 
and  said,  *' Because  there  are  so  many  pretty  prayers  in  it." 
She  was  reading  the  Psalms. 

When  eleven  years  of  age,  she  went  to  her  father's  study 
on  Satui'day  morning  j)^'6ceding  a  communion  Sabbath,  sat 
on  his  knee,  rested  her  head  on  his  shoulder,  and  com- 
menced weeping.  He  asked  her  very  tenderly  why  she 
wept;  but,  for  some  time,  she  could  make  no  reply.  At 
length,  with  apparent  effort,  she  merely  said,  *'The  com- 
munion is  to  be  to-morrow,"  and  then  wept  more  freely. 
On  inquiry,  her  father  discovered  that  she  greatly  desired 
to  participate  in  the  sacred  ordinance.  On  questioning  her 
closely,  he  found  that  her  ideas  on  the  subject  were  clear  and 
scriptui'al.  But  he  proposed  that  she  would  wait  until  she 
was  older  and  more  confirmed  in  her  experience.  She 
seemed  to  understand  very  clearly  the  meaning  and  force 
of  her  father's  reasons,  and  yielded. 

This  scene,  with  veiy  slight  variation,  was  reenacted  at 
each  communion  for  the  ensuing  twelve  months.  All  this 
time  she  read  carefully  books  fitted  to  explain  the  scriptural 
experience  of  the  true  Christian.  At  the  close  of  that  year, 
w^hen  she  was  just  twelve  years  of  age,  she  appeared  before 
the  session,  gave  very  satisfactory  answers  to  the  questions 
asked  her,  and  was  admitted  to  the  communion  of  the  church. 
She  was  consistent  as  a  religious  child,  then  as  a  well-edu- 
cated young  lady,  and  still  lives,  adorning  her  profession  as 
a  pious  wife  and  mother  of  a  large  family  of  children. 

A.  K.  was  much  such  a  child  as  the  foregoing.  At  the 
same  early  age  she  seemed  pious,  but  made  no  profession  of 
religion,  nor  had  she  ever  expressed  any  desire  to  be  con- 
nected with  the  chm'ch.  When  about  twelve  j^eai's  old  she 
was  attacked  with  a  lingering  disease,  of  which  she  died 
after  a  confinement  of  two  months.     At  an  early  stage  of 


84  Pastoral  Sketches. 

her  sickness  she  communicated  freely  with  her  godly  mo- 
ther as  to  lier  rehgioiis  ideas  and  feelings.  She  gave  the 
most  satisfactory  evidence  of  a  thorough  change  of  heart, 
spoke  confidently  of  dying,  and  expressed  the  utmost  willing- 
ness to  die.  On  one  occasion,  after  speaking  of  the  reasons* 
she  had  for  being  happy  in  the  prospect  of  death,  in  a  way 
to  satisfy  the  most  incredulous,  she  paused  for  a  while  and 
commenced  weeping.  Her  fond  and  anxious  mother  inquired 
for  the  cause  of  her  distress,  to  which  she  replied,  "Mother, 
I  was  only  distressed  at  thinking  that  I  should  have  been  so 
foolish  and  wicked  as  to  put  off  giving  my  heart  to  Christ  so 
long." 

This  ebuUition  of  grief  passed  away ;  her  peace  again  be- 
came as  a  river;  and,  at  the  earh^  age  of  twelve,  she  died 
happily,  never  having  ceased  to  regret  that  she  had  not 
given  her  heart  to  Christ  sooner. 

A.  H.  was  the  son  of  an  intelligent,  rich  and  pious  father. 
He  appHed  for  church-membership  at  the  early  age  of  four- 
teen years.  So  satisfactory  was  the  examination  he  sus- 
tained that  the  session  did  not  hesitate  to  admit  him.  He 
held  fast  his  profession  as  a  boy,  a  young  man  and  a  minis- 
ter of  the  gospel — which  sacred  office  he  still  holds. 

E.  S.  w^as  a  little  girl,  whose  mind  and  heart  seemed  im- 
bued with  love  to  her  Saviour  at  the  age  of  eight  years. 
This  was  evinced  in  all  the  ordinary  ways,  which  need  not 
be  repeated.  AVhen  just  at  the  early  age  mentioned  above, 
her  father  found  her  reading  the  Bible  and  weeping  freely 
as  she  read.  On  inquiring  into  the  cause  of  her  grief,  and 
taking  her  Testament  in  his  hand  as  he  talked  with  her,  he 
discovered  that  she  had  been  reading  the  nineteenth  chapter 
of  the  Gospel  by  John.  He  said  to  her,  "My  child,  what 
is  there  in  this  chai^ter  to  make  you  weep? " 

"Why,  father,"  she  said,  "don't  you  see  that  near  the 
beginning  of  the  chapter  they  said,  'we  find  no  fault  in  him,* 


Pastoral  Sketches.  85 

and  yet,  before  the  chapter  ends,  it  tells  iis  that  they  cruci- 
fied him?     How  can  I  help  crying  to  think  of  that ? " 

Two  days  after  this  tnuching  incident,  this  child's  clothes 
took  fire  from  standing  too  near  the  fire-place,  and,  as  there 
was  no  one  with  her  in  the  room  to  extinguish  the  llames, 
she  was  so  badly  burned  that  she  survived  only  about 
twenty-four  hours.  During  this  time  of  intense  suffering 
her  mind  was  clear,  calm,  and  peaceful.  She  spoke  of  her 
Savioiu'  W'ith  great  propriety  and  warmth  of  affection,  and 
several  times  referred  to  the  fact  that  they  declared  him  in- 
nocent, and  yet  crucified  him.  She  never  referred  to  this 
without  weeping  bitterly.     She  died  very  happily. 

A.  A.  B.  was  the  daughter  of  E.  B  ,  Esq.,  one  of  the 
wealthiest,  most  intelligent,  but  3'et  one  of  the  most  irreli- 
gious men  in  the  congregation  to  which  I  ministered  when 
first  licensed  to  preach.  Mr.  B.  was  a  lawyer  who,  though 
irrehgious,  was  not  profane  nor  dissipated.  He  might  have 
been  considered  a  man  of  good  moral  character,  but  whose 
views  of  religious  questions  were  in  open  conflict  with  the 
teachings  of  the  word  of  God.  He  had  a  large  and  gay 
family.  He  lived  freel}'  and  entertained  generously.  His 
children  were  trained  in  the  ways  of  the  world.  To  gratify 
their  natural  love  of  worldly  pleasure  he  spared  neither 
pains  nor  expense.  A.  A.  was  his  third  daughter.  The 
eldest  was  married,  aiid  th3  second  grown  ai:d  much  ad- 
mii'ed.  The  whole  family  was  utterly  destitute  of  all  know- 
ledge of,  or  interest  in,  evangelical  religion. 

Soon  after  my  settlement  I  preached  in  a  school-house,  to 
a  very  small  audience.  This  school-house  was  within  a  few 
hundi'ed  yards  of  Mr.  B.'s  house.  Yet  the  only  member  of 
his  large  family  who  attended  A\as  the  subject  of  this 
sketch — then  just  thirteen  jxars  of  age.  She  was  large  for 
her  age,  not  very  handsome,  but  of  an  enga;nng  person  and 
attractive  manners  for  a  child.     J-Jhe  was  awakened   at  this 


86  Pastoral  Sketches. 

meeting  to  a  sense  of  lier  sin  and  misery,  and,  when  the 
small  {Tudience  dispersed,  she  remained  of  her  own  accord, 
to  converse  with  me  on  the  subject.  Her  knowledge  of  reli- 
gion was  very  limited,  for  she  had  enjoyed  no  religious 
training.  Still,  her  con\dctions  of  personal  guilt  and  danger 
were  deep  and  scriptural.  I  gave  her  such  counsel  as  I 
deemed  appropriate.  Her  impressions  were  abiding.  She 
soon  visited  me  at  my  house.  She  seemed  to  have  accepted 
Christ  as  he  is  offered  in  the  gosjoel.  She  gave  very  satis- 
factory reasons  for  the  hope  that  was  in  her,  and  expressed 
a  desire  to  be  admitted  to  the  church  I  advised  her  to 
wait,  in  consideration  of  her  youth  and  the  probable  oppo- 
sition her  family,  and  especially  her  father,  would  make  to 
this  step.  She  yielded  readily,  but  sadly,  especially  when  I 
told  her  that  I  hoped  God  designed  to  make  her  the  first 
fruits  of  religion  in  the  large  and  ga^^  family  to  which  she 
belonged 

About  two  months  after  her  first  visit  to  me,  her  second 
sister  was  married.  The  w^edding  was  extravagantly  gay. 
A  very  large  company  was  invited.  Musicians  were  brought 
from  Petersburg,  and  for  two  or  three  days  and  nights  the 
large  house  resounded  with  music  and  dancing,  and  every 
form  of  fashionable  revelry. 

Through  these  gay  scenes  A.  A.  bore  herself  with  Chris- 
tian propriety.  She  was  modest,  good-humored,  and  polite 
to  everybody,  yet  firmly  refrained  frofii  direct  j^articipation  in 
the  dance  Her  father  observed  this,  and  spoke  very  kindly 
to  her  (for  he  was  a  very  affectionate  father),  urging  her  to 
do  as  her  sigters  and  young  friends  were  doing,  and  not  make 
herself  an  object  of  ridicule  and  disgust.  She  modestly  and 
firmly  declined.  Her  father  then  took  her  on  his  knee  and 
told  her  that,  if  she  would  only  conform  to  the  customs  of 
the  party,  he  would  give  her  fifty  dollars.  To  this  she  veiy 
meekly  replied,  "Papa,  I  am  sure  you  would  not  have  me 
to  violate  my  conscience  for  money.     I  cannot  do  it."     This 


Pastoral  Sketches.  87 

provoked  liim,  aiitl  he  told  her  to  go  to  the  kitchen  and  as- 
sociate \vith  the  cook,  as  she  ^^•as  the  only  Christian  in  his 
family.  This  so  distressed  her  that  she  left  the  room  in 
tears;  but  she  controlled  her  feelings  and  soon  returned, 
only  to  persist  in  the  course  she  had  adopted. 

More  than  a  year  passed  away,  during  which  she  often 
visited  me,  improved  in  knowledge,  and  grew  in  grace.  Dur- 
ing this  time  she  said  little  about  joining  the  church ;  still 
it  was  evident  that  she  desired  to  do  so. 

At  length  she  made  me  a  visit,  during  the  week  jDreceding 
a  stated  commimion,  expressly  to  make  application  for  mem- 
bership. She  prefaced  her  application  by  saying  that  she 
had  recently  heard  her  father  say  to  a  prominent  member 
of  the  church,  who  was  trying  to  convince  him  of  his  errors, 
"  Sir,  it  is  useless  to  endeavor  to  change  my  ox^inions,  for  I 
adopted  them  when  I  was  fourteen  years  old,  and  they  have 
continued  to  strengthen  ever  since." 

Now,  thought  the  dear  girl,  I  will  ask  papa's  permission 
to  join  the  church,  and,  if  he  objects  because  of  my  age,  I 
will  remind  him  of  what  he  said  to  Captain  Jones  about 
making  up  his  mind  at  fourteen;  and,  as  that  is  my  age,  he 
certainly  cannot  object  to  my  doing  as  he  did.  "  But,"  she 
added,  "I  wished  to  see  you  before  I  made  my  wishes  known 
to  him."  I  encouraged  her  to  ask  for  her  father's  consent, 
assuring  her  that,  if  she  obtained  it,  she  should  be  received 
to  full  membership  in  the  church. 

She  met  me  at  church  on  Saturday  preceding  the  com- 
munion, and  gave  me  the  following  account  of  her  interview 
with  her  father.     She  said : 

"I  went  into  his  office,  and,  standing  at  his  side,  laid  my 
arm  on  his  shoulder,  but  said  nothing.  He  laid  down  his 
pen,  looked  at  me  very  kindly,  and  said,  'My  daughter, 
what  do  you  want? '  But  my  heart  failed  me.  1  could  say 
nothing,  but  walked  quietly  out  of  the  room.  VHien  I  had 
returned  to  my  chamber,  I  remembered  that  I  had  not 


88  Pastoral  Sketches. 

prayed  before  I  Ment  to  the  office,  and  then  understood  why 
I  failed  to  make  my  errand  known.  So  I  locked  my  door, 
knelt  and  prayed  for  God  to  help  me  to  do  "VNhat  I  Avanted, 
and  to  do  it  in  the  right  way.  I  then  returned  to  the  office, 
had  no  difficulty  in  making  my  errand  known,  and  at  once 
received  my  father's  permission  to  do  as  I  pleased  in  the 
matter." 

She  accordingly  appeared  before  the  session,  was  cor- 
dially welcomed  to  the  communion  of  the  church,  and  made 
ever  afterwards  one  of  our  most  useful  members.  Such  was 
her  good  sense,  prudence,  and  piet}-,  that  she  soon  acquired 
great  influence  over  her  whole  family.  Their  gaiety  con- 
tinued, but  her  feelings  were  respected.  Nor  did  she  ever 
swerve  in  the  least  from  the  line  of  strict  Christian  pro- 
priety. The  whole  family  became  constant  attendants  at 
church  and  generous  supporters  of  the  ministry. 

In  about  a  year  after  A.  A.  joined  the  church,  her  father 
became  ill.  She  conversed  with  him  freely  about  his  future 
prospects.  He  listened  to  her  respectfully,  and  finally  asked 
that  I  be  sent  for.  I  saw  him  several  times.  He  spoke 
freely  on  the  subject  of  religion,  but  his  views  were  indis- 
tinct and  confused.  They  certainly  afforded  him  no  com- 
fort. He  died  without  any  discoverable  saving  change.  But 
from  that  time,  a  work  of  grace  went  forward  in  the  family. 
The  mother,  two  sisters,  and  a  brother,  soon  became  mem- 
"bers  of  the  church.  The  latter  still  lives,  and  has  for  many 
years  been  one  of  the  best  ruling  elders  in  the  church. 

Meantime,  A.  A.  grew  to  womanhood,  married  one  of  our 
best  ministers,  and  made  one  of  the  best  minister's  wives  I 
have  ever  known.  She  died  recently,  leaving  one  daughter, 
the  wife  of  a  minister,  and  other  children,  a  blessing  to  their 
father  and  the  chui'ch. 

These  are  a  few,  and  only  a  few,  out  of  many  instances  of 
early  piety -which  have  occurred  under  my  own  observation. 


Pastoral  Sketches.  89 

These  are,  perhaps,  the  most  striking;  but  many  others 
might  be  stated,  well-titted  to  convince  every  candid  mind 
that  the  children  are  often  the  most  interesting  and  pro- 
mising portion  of  a  minister's  charge.  It  has  been  perti- 
nently said,  that  *'the  shepherd  who  does  not  look  well 
to  the  lambs  of  his  flock  will  soon  have  no  flock  to  look 
after." 

But  I  must  not  leave  this  subject  until  I  have  specifically 
stated  that  the  greatest  caution  must  be  observed,  and  the 
greatest  skill  displayed,  in  dealing  with  the  religious  con- 
Adctions  and  feelings  of  children.  They  must  be  taught  to 
restrain  mere  animal  feeling.  They  must  be  guarded  against 
those  excitements  in  w^hich  some  ministers  so  delight,  and  to 
create  which  such  unreasonable  and  unscriptural  measures 
are  often  adopted.  No  class  of  persons  so  much  need  the 
ballast  which  only  saving  truth  can  give  to  the  mind. 

The  reader  is  referred  to  the  account  I  have  elsewhere 
given  of  revivals  in  Charlottesville  Female  Academy. 


CHAPTER    VIL 

1832-1836. 

Leaves  Nottoway  for  Scottsville,  Ya.  — Me.  (aftekwaeds  Eet.  De.) 
Peyton  Haeeison  builds  a  Paesonage  for  him  at  his  own 
Chaeges.  —  Ketival  —  Eev.  Daniel  Bakee. — Accepts  Agency 
FOE  Ameeican  Teact  Society. — Oeseevations  on  his  Agency  and 
Similar  Enterpeises  Auxiliary  to  the  Church. 

"  Rejoice  that  man  is  liurled 
From  change  to  change  unceasingly, 
His  soul's  wings  never  furled." 

TN  April,  1832,  our  Prosbvterv  met  at  Providence  Church, 
A  in  Louisa  couut}^  Ya.  I  was  invited  by  the  session  of 
the  church  in  Scottsville,  Albemarle  county,  then  vacant,  to 
visit  them  on  my  way  to  the  meeting.  I  did  so,  and  the  re- 
sult was  a  unanimous  call  to  become  their  pastor.  "With 
great  difficulty,  and  after  much  reflection,  I  accejoted  this 
call,  and  prepared  to  leave  my  much-loved  people  in  Notto- 
way. 

They  made  strenuous  opposition  to  my  leaving  them ;  but, 
when  they  discovered  that  I  was  clear  in  my  judgment  as  to 
my  duty,  they  3'ielded. 

[Mr.  Cralle  Jones,  a  ruling  elder  at  the  time,  gave  us,  in 
May,  1886,  a  touching  account  of  the  congregational  meet- 
ing, called  to  unite  with  Mr.  "White  in  his  application  to 
Presbytery  for  permission  to  take  charge  of  the  Scottsville 
Church.  The  vote  of  the  congregation  was  silent — not  a 
voice  was  heard.  The  Eev.  Mr.  Pryor,  who  was  to  succeed 
him,  Avas  on  the  floor,  in  the  vigor  and  beauty  of  his  youth.] 

Every  feeling  of  my  heart  was  opposed  to  this  step,  but 
judgment  and  conscience  impelled  me  to  go.     With  many 

90 


SCOTTSVILLE,  91 

tears  I  bade  tlieni  farewell  ou  the  second  Sabbatb  in  June, 
1832. 

Scottsville  was  then  a  small  village  on  James  river,  but 
rapidly  increasing  in  size  and  importance.  A  turnpike  had 
recently  been  constructed,  extending  to  Rocktish  Gap,  and 
imiting  the  trade  of  the  Valley  of  Virginia  in  that  direction. 
The  result  was  that  so  small  a  village  rarely  ever  commanded 
so  active  a  trade.  A  hundred  large  Valley  w-agons  have  been 
seen  unloading  their  rich  freight  of  Hour,  bacon,  venison 
hams,  butter,  cheese,  beeswax,  etc,  in  one  day;  and  this 
when  the  j^opulation  did  not  exceed  five  hmidred  persons  of 
all  ages  and  conditions.  Small  as  the  population  was,  it 
was  far  too  large  to  find  comfortable  habitations.  A  small, 
but  neat,  Presbyterian  church  was  the  only  house  of  wor- 
ship, and  this  incomplete  when  I  arrived.  The  church  con- 
tained about  forty  members,  with  four  highly  intelligent  and 
active  ruling  elders.  My  predecessor,  the  Eev.  Samuel 
Hurd,  a  man  of  blessed  memory,  had  gathered  and  organ- 
ized this  little  church.  His  work  was  well  and  faithfully 
done.  He  left  them  in  so  healthful  a  state  that  it  was 
pleasant  to  succeed  him.  A  Sabbath-school,  Bible-class, 
and  a  congregational  prayer-meeting  were  in  successful  ope- 
ration. 

But  only  the  half  of  my  time  could  be  given  to  this  peo- 
ple. The  other  half  was  given  to  a  little  church  in  Buck- 
ingham, eight  miles  from  Scottsville,  called  "Mars'  Hill." 
Here  were  a  few  Presbyterians,  intelligent  and  excellent 
people.  Among  these  was  Mrs.  Martha  Nicholas,  of  "The 
Seven  Islands,"  a  lady  of  large  estate,  yet  larger  heart.  She 
was,  to  a  great  extent,  to  my  little  family,  what  IMrs.  Dr.  Jones 
had  been  in  Nottoway.  She  was  a  widow,  over  three-score 
years  of  age,  with  three  grown  sons  still  living  with  lier. 
Her  hospitality  was  imbounded.  She  loved  and  labored  for 
her  church.  She  loved  and  sustained  her  pastor  and  his 
family. 


92  Peyton  Harrison,  Esq. 

It  was  put  into  the  call  that  I  should  reside  in  the  village 
of  Scottsville ;  but  so  rapidly  had  it  increased  in  population, 
and  so  straitened  were  the  people  for  house-room,  that  it 
was  impossible  to  jSnd  a  home  for  my  family,  either  as 
housekeeper  or  boarder.  In  this  extremity,  Mrs.  Nicholas 
proposed  that  we  should  reside  with  her,  free  of  charge, 
until  some  arrangement  could  be  made  for  our  accommoda- 
tion at  Scottsville.  We  accepted  her  kind  offer  for  a  few 
weeks. 

But  Peyton  Harrison,  Esq.,  then  a  ruling  elder  in  the 
Scottsville  Church,  now  the  Kev.  Dr.  Peyton  Harrison,  of 
Baltimore,  determined  to  build  a  parsonage  at  his  own 
charges,  and,  meantime,  procured  boarding  for  us  in  the 
family  of  Mr.  Edward  Tompkins,  who  lived  about  four  miles 
from  Scottsville. 

With  this  very  kind  family  we  boarded  through  the  sum- 
mer and  into  the  autumn  of  1832.  During  the  following 
winter  w^e  boarded  with  Mr.  Peter  White,  a  ruling  elder  in 
Scottsville,  and  an  uncommonly  good  man.  In  the  spring 
of  1833  we  took  possession  of  the  plain,  but  neat  house 
built  for  us  by  Mr.  Harrison. 

During  the  following  summer  we  were  visited  by  the  Rev. 
Daniel  Baker,  whose  preaching  was  owned  and  blessed  of 
God  to  the  increase  of  the  church.  Now,  for  the  first  time 
in  a  ministry  of  six  years,  it  was  my  privilege  to  enjoy  a 
general  and  genuine  revival  of  religion.  Now,  for  the  fii'st 
time,  I  had  to  guide  about  thirty  anxious  inquirers  all  at 
once.  This  was  new  and  difficult,  but  delightful,  work. 
About  twenty-five  were  added  to  the  church,  including  some 
of  the  most  prominent  persons  of  the  tillage  and  surround- 
ing countr}'.  They  ran  well,  and  added  much  to  the  strength 
of  the  church.  One  of  the  fruits  of  this  revival  was  the 
bringing  of  Mr.  Peyton  Harrison  into  the  ministr}^  He 
was  a  ruling  elder  and  a  lawyer.  He  had  thought  of  the 
ministry  before,  but  the  obstacles  seemed  insurmountable. 


The  American  Tract  Society.  93 

He  had  a  family,  a  large  landed  estate,  and  many  servants. 
The  difficulty  of  deciding  Avhat  disposition  to  make  of  these 
had  hitherto  held  him  back.  But  the  active  effort  and 
prayer,  called  forth  by  this  revival,  so  increased  his  own 
faith  and  so  inllamed  his  own  zeal  that  he  hesitated  no 
longer. 

Mrs.  Harrison  cheerfully  consented  to  take  her  children 
and  go  with  him  to  the  seminary.  His  brother,  Carter  H. 
Harrison,  readily  consented  to  purchase  his  entire  estate — - 
land,  stock,  farming  implements,  and  servants — on  his  own 
terms.  In  this  way  the  servants  were  not  disturbed  in  their 
domestic  relations.  Thus  Providence  opened  up  the  way ; 
he  entered  it,  and  in  due  time  became  a  minister  of  the 
gospel.  Two  valuable  additions  were  made  to  the  session 
as  other  fruits  of  this  revival. 

My  ministry  now  became  veiy  pleasant ;  but  wdthin  a  year 
from  that  time  it  ended,  and,  at  what  seemed  like  a  call  of 
Providence,  we  left  our  pleasant  home  for  a  widely  different 
field  of  labor.  This  happened  thus:  Up  to  this  time  the 
American  Tract  Society  had  published  only  unbound  tracts. 
Several  leading  ministers  in  Petersburg  and  Eichmond  had 
resolved  to  seek,  through  the  Virginia  Tract  Society,  the  en- 
largement of  the  i^arent  society's  plans.  The  result  was  that 
a  number  of  the  best  books  on  practical  theology  were  pub- 
lished, and  a  scheme  inaugurated,  technically  termed  "The 
volume  enteii^)rise  of  the  Virginia  Tract  Society,"  and  I  was 
chosen  to  take  in  hand  the  prosecution  of  the  scheme  as  the 
general  agent  for  the  State  of  Virginia. 

It  was  extremely  difficult  to  decide  what  was  my  duty.  I 
had  been  pastor  at  Scottsville  only  two  years.  God  had 
graciously  granted  us  an  outpouring  of  his  Spirit,  which  had 
revived  and  strengthened  the  church.  I  was  yet  a  young 
man,  scarcely  beyond  the  infancy  of  my  ministry.  The 
church  warmly  and  unanimously  ox:)posed  the  resignation  of 
my  pastoral  charge.       Still,  the  arguments   employed  by 


94  Semi-secular  Work. 

those  wlio  sought  1113^  services,  with  what  then  seemed  the 
will  of  God,  determined  me  to  yield  to  the  proposal,  and 
enter  upon  this  very  new  and  untried  field.  This,  with  the 
reluctant  consent  of  the  church  and  Presbytery,  I  did.  AVe 
had  now  four  children. 

It  has  been,  for  a  long  time,  clear  to  my  mind  that  I  seri- 
ously mistook  my  duty  in  taking  such  a  family  from  their 
home,  exchanging  such  a  pastoral  charge  for  any  migratoiy 
agency  whatsoever.  Of  this  I  became  fully  convinced  before 
the  second  year  of  my  agency  was  half  expired ;  and  at  the 
end  of  the  second  year,  in  the  spring  of  1836,  I  joyfully  re- 
signed. Still,  my  most  judicious  and  candid  friends  ex- 
pressed the  opinion  that  God  had  enabled  me  to  accomplish 
a  great  and  good  work. 

True,  I  became  something  of  a  traveller;  made  a  great 
many  off-hand  speeches;  preached  a  few  sermons  a  great 
many  times;  explored  ahnost  every  part  of  Vu'ginia,  and 
many  parts  many  times.  I  went  beyond  the  limits  of  Vir- 
ginia; attended  "the  anniversaries"  in  New  York  and  in 
Boston ;  made  quite  a  number  of  the  sort  of  speeches  com- 
mon and  popular  in  that  day,  especially  in  that  Northern 
region ;  touched  for  a  night  and  day  at  New  Haven ;  about 
as  long  at  Hartford  and  Providence,  R.  I.  I  put  an  immense 
number  of  books  in  circulation,  the  solid  and  excellent 
*'' bound  volumes  of  the  Tract  Society." 

But  then  there  were  scores  of  excellent  laymen  in  the  church 
who  could  have  done  all  that  I  did,  save  the  preaching  of  a 
few  thread-bare  sermons,  even  better  than  I  did.  They 
could  have  travelled  more  easily,  more  expeditiously,  and 
less  expensively.  They  could  have  excelled  me  in  making 
the  sort  of  speeches  I  made,  and,  as  to  the  filling  and  send- 
ing abroad  boxes  of  books,  they  could  have  surpassed  me 
greatly. 

But,  above  all.  Presbytery  did  not  license  and  ordain  me 
to  do  this  sort  of  semi-secular  work,  but  to  gather  together 


Semi-seculak  AVork.  95 

the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel  by  the  oral  preaching 
of  the  gospel,  and  by  faithful  pastoral  visitation  from  house 
to  house.  And  then,  God  had  blessed  nie  in  making  me  a 
husband  and  a  .father,  thus  placing  me  at  the  head  of  an- 
other institution  as  really  of  divine  appointment  as  is  the 
church  itself.  This,  of  course,  I  almost  wholly  neglected, 
at  least  so  far  as  their  religious  instruction  and  training 
were  concerned;  and,  but  for  the  fidelity  and  skill  of  the 
mother  of  those  four  children,  they  would  probably  have 
suffered  irreparable  injury  through  my  neglect. 

If  a  man  enters  the  ministry,  as  I  fear  many  do,  through 
mistake  as  to  his  adaptedness  to  the  work,  and,  hence, 
after  proper  exertions  faithfully  made,  fails  to  secure  a  use- 
ful position  in  a  pastoral  charge,  then  he  must  do  the  next 
best  thing  he  can.  In  other  words,  if  on  full  experiment, 
lie  fails  to  meet  the  just  demands  of  the  church  in  the  pas- 
toral work,  yet  can  preach  a  tolerable  sermon  as  stated  sup- 
ply of  some  feeble  church  and  has  aptness  to  teach  a  classical 
school,  why  let  him  serve  God  as  stated  supply  and  school- 
master. If  another,  with  similar  disqualifications  as  to  the 
pastoral  work,  can  commit  to  memory  the  story  of  some 
benevolent  association ;  can  tell  that  sUiry  fluently :  is  fond 
of  a  migratory  life ;  possesses  some  ease  of  manner,  which 
much  intercourse  with  all  sorts  of  people,  blended,  with 
some  impudence,  will  give  him;  has  a  wdfe  well  fitted  for 
the  duties  of  a  mother,  and  is  himself  good  for  nothing  as  a 
father,  w^hy  let  him  Ijecome  an  agent. 

And  yet  the  best  of  pastors  may,  in  certain  emergencies, 
and  for  the  immediate  furtherance  of  some  great  cause,  get 
leave  of  absence  from  his  church  for  a  short  time  to  set  in 
motion  or  urge  forward  this  cause;  or,  when  incapacitated 
by  age  or  some  infirmity  unfitting  him  for  the  full  work  of 
the  ministry,  he  may  turn  teacher,  or  farmer,  or  even  agent, 
by- and  wdth  the  consent  of  his  pastoral  charge  and  Presby- 
teiy.     Presidencies  and  professorships  of  colleges  can  be 


96  Semi- SECULAR  Work. 

undertaken  with  propriety  by  ordained  ministers  of  the  gos- 
pel only  under  similar  limitations. 

The  extent  to  which,  especially  in  the  North,  the  ministry 
of  the  gospel  is  ^'■tacked  on"  to  some  presidency  or  profes- 
sorship, merely  to  add  dignity  and  sacredness  to  a  far  in- 
ferior calling,  has  had  a  deplorable  tendency  to  elevate  the- 
inferior  at  the  expense  of  the  superior  profession.  It  has 
greatly  helped  to  secularize  and  degrade,  and  even  to  cor- 
rupt the  ministiy,  until,  in  many,  very  many  cases,  the 
preachers  in  the  United  States  have  become  the  wildest  and 
most  narrow-minded  politicians  and  agitators  in  all  the  land. 

So  much  I  have  deemed  it  proper  to  say  of  my  two  j^ears' 
agency,  chiefly  for  my  two  sons  who  are  now,  and  for  my 
gi'andsons  who  may  become,  ministers. 

[Dr.  White  has  left  a  diary  of  his  experience  while  on  this 
agency.  It  abounds  in  entertaining  incidents,  and  would 
be  published  in  this  memoir  but  for  fear  of  making  the  book 
too  large.] 


CHAPTER   VIII 

183G-1838. 

His  Field  in  and  about  Charlottesville.  — Abandons  South  Plains 
AND  Bethel. — Key.  Joseph  F.  Baxtepw  Called  to  them. — Confines 
HIS  Work  to  Charlottesville. — Opens  a  School  for  Young 
Ladies.— The  School  a  Nursery  to  the  Church. — Declines  En- 
tertaining A  C.\LL  TO  A  ^' ALLEY  ChURCH. 

•  "  This  is  not  a  world  of  finalities  of  any  kind  ; 

But  one  of  broken  arcs,  and  not  of  perfect  rounds." 

THE  church  at  Charlottesville,  Va.,  made  vacant  by  the 
resignatiuii  and  removal  to  Georgia  of  the  Rev.  Francis 
Bowman,  invited  me  to  become  tl>eir  pastor.  This  church, 
had  been  united,  under  Mr.  Bowman,  with  that  of  Bethel, 
and  now  united  in  their  call  to  me.  There  Avas  a  third, 
place  of  worship  embraced  in  the  limits,  called  South  Plains. 
These  three  houses  of  worship,  with  their  intervening  hues, 
formed  almost  an  equilateral  triang-le,  whose  lines  were  from 
six  to  eight  miles  long.  Mr.  Bowman  had  resided  first  in 
the  bounds  of  Bethel,  where  his  labors  had  been  mucli 
blessed.  A  religious  awakening  had  occurred  at  an  early- 
period  of  his  ministry,  and  there  sprang  up  a  small  but  vig- 
orous country  church.  His  success  at  South  Plains  had  been 
encouraging  also.  But  certain  inlluences  in,  and  especially 
around,  Charlottesville  had  greatly  retarded  and  counter- 
acted his  work  at  that  place.  Still  a  few  noble  spirits  were 
found  there,  who,  though  defrauded  of  their  interest  in  a 
house  of  Avorship  which  they  had  unwisely  built  in  connec- 
tion with  another  denomination,  relinquished  their  right  in 
that  church,  and  forthwith  built  another  of  their  own. 

Mr.  BoAATQan's  ill  health,  which  at  length  compelled  him 
to  seek  a  more  southern  clime,  had,  for  a  long  time,  seri- 
7  97 


98  Field  in  and  about  Charlottesville. 

ously  interrupted  his  labors,  and  the  little  churches  suffered 
on  this  account.  When,  in  the  early  spring  of  1836, 1  visited 
them  with  a  view  to  a  more  full  and  satisfactory  considera- 
tion of  their  call,  the  field,  especially  at  Charlottesville,  ex- 
hibited so  unj^romising  an  aj^pearance  that  I  Avas  exceed- 
ingly reluctant  to  undertake  it.  The  Eev.  George  A.  Bax- 
ter, D.  D.,  who  had  succeeded  my  honored  preceptor,  Eev. 
Dr.  John  H.  Eice,  as  i^rofessor  of  theology  in  Union  Semi- 
TLSirj,  Virginia,  urged  me  to  accei)t,  and  presented  considera- 
tions which,  with  God's  guidance  I  trust,  prevai-led  with  me 
to  do  so. 

Accordingly,  on  the  ITtJi  of  May,  1836,  I  commenced  my 
work.  The  arraugement  for  the  first  year  was  the  follow- 
ing :  I  preached  on  one  Sabbath  in  the  month  at  Charlottes- 
ville, one  at  South  Plains,  and  two  at  Bethel.  I  met  with 
warm  and  generous  friends  in  the  church,  but  outsiders 
were  distant  and  cold.  Altogether  the  prospect  was  very 
dreary,  and  at  Charlottesville  it  became  more  and  more  so 
as  the  year  rolled  by.  It  could  hardly  be  otherwise.  The 
Episcoj)al,  Methodist,  Baptist  and  Campbellite  churches  all 
had  the  start  of  the  Presb^'terian.  They  made  good  use  of 
the  advantage  thus  secured.  Most  or  all  of  these  had  ser- 
vice every  Sabbath,  and  I  Init  one  Sabbath  in  the  month. 
On  many  a  fair  and  lovely  day  I  preached  t )  twenty,  or  at 
most  to  thirty  people.  As  to  service  in  the  week,  and  es- 
p)ecially  at  night,  that  was  a  thing  unknown.  (See  the  JJfe 
of  Sampson,  by  Dr.  Dabney,  j)p.  IS,  19.) 

At  the  end  of  the  first  year  I  succeeded  in  prevailing  on 
the  South  Plains  people,  among  whom  were  some  of  my 
most  generous  friends  and  supporters,  to  relinquish  their 
claim  on  me  for  Sabbath  services,  and  to  consent  to  take  a 
Saturday  service  once  in  two  weeks.  Then  I  spent  two  Sa'j- 
baths  in  Charlottesville,  two  at  Bethel,  two  Satui-days  a 
month  at  South  Plains,  and  two  Thursday's  a  month  at 
Mount  Tabor,  a  vacant  church  some  twelve  miles  west  of 
Charlottesville. 


Eev.  Joseph  Baxter.  99 

These  scattered  labors  extended  my  acquaintance  among 
the  people,  and  friends  outside  the  church  began  to  gather 
around  me.  But  still  I  clearly  saw  that  we  must  have  wor- 
ship every  Sabbath  in  Charlottes\'ille,  or  next  to  nothing 
could  be  done.  But  how  could  this  be  done?  The  two 
churches  to  which  I  ministered  on  the  Sabbath  paid  for  my 
support  $350  each,  and  thought  and  said  they  could  joay 
more.  I  had  now  five  children,  and  three  of  these  were  at 
school.  My  expenses  were  increasing  rapidly,  and  my  salary 
was  stationary.  From  the  time  I  became  a  father  I  resolved 
on  two  things :  First,  that  I  would  never  attempt  to  make  a 
fortune  for  my  children;  second,  that  I  would  spare  no  ex- 
pense of  time,  eifort  or  money  to  give  them  a  good  educa- 
tion. But  how  was  this  to  be  done?  Only  in  one  way,  and 
that  I  brought  about  thus : 

About  the  time  my  second  year  ended,  in  the  spring  of 
1838,  my  venerable  friend,  Dr.  George  A.  Baxter,  wrote  to 
me  that  his  son,  Joseph,  expected  to  be  licensed  at  the  ap- 
proaching meeting  of  Presbytery,  and  that  if  I  could  find  a 
field  of  labor  for  him  somewhere  in  my  neighborhood,  he 
would  be  gratified.  I  at  once  concluded  to  ask  the  Bethel 
and  South  Plains  churches  to  release  me  from  my  obliga- 
tion to  preach  to  them,  and  unite  in  calling  young  Baxter 
into  their  service. 

To  this  they  at  fii'st  objected  strongly.  Bethel  pleaded 
that  they  had  as  many  members,  and  could  give  as  much  as 
Charlottesville  and  South  Plains  together:  that  they  had 
first  moved  to  call  me  there;  that  but  for  them  I  would 
never  have  come;  that  they  would  2)urchase  a  parsonage, 
and  settle  me  permanently  among  themselves. 

To  this  I  replied  that,  feeble  as  the  church  in  Charlottes- 
ville is,  nevertheless  it  is  the  county-seat,  and  as  such  is  the 
heart  of  the  county;  excellent  schools  are  there;  and  there 
especially  is  the  University  of  Virginia.  I  must  educate  my 
childi'en,  and  however  generous  you  may  be,  you  cannot 


100  South  Plains  and  Bethel  Abandoned. 

afford  to  them  the  advantages  of  those  schools  at  this  dis- 
tance; but  Hving  there  I  may  hope  to  give  them  those  ad- 
vantages. 

Their  rej^ly  to  all  this  was :  There  are  only  about  twenty 
members  of  that  church,  and  they  give  you  only  $350,  and 
we  doubt  whether  they  will  ever  give  3'ou  more.  You  cannot 
accomplish  your  purpose  on  means  so  limited. 

My  answer  was :  I  can  easily  attend  to  so  small  and  com- 
pact a  church  and  teach  a  female  school;  and  as  they  give 
me  less  than  half  a  support,  I  shall  feel  bound  to  serve 
them  only  the  half  of  my  time;  the  other  half  I  can  give 
to  a  school  conducted  on  thoroughly  Christian  privileges. 

At  length  they  yielded.  The  union  between  Bethel  and 
South  Plains  was  formed.  Mr.  Joseph  F.  Baxter  was  called 
to  be  their  pastor,  and  duly  installed  as  such. 

Now  I  started  afresh,  with  a  church  of  less  than  twenty 
members,  a  congregation  of  fifty  hearers,  on  a  salary  of 
$350,  and  this  in  the  eleventh  year  of  my  ministry.  This 
seemed  like  receding,  instead  of  advancing. 

The  little  church  increased  my  salary  to  $500,  five  gentle- 
men giving  me  their  joint  bond  for  this  amount.  This 
amount  was  duly  paid. 

I  had  now  been  preaching  eleven  years,  and  was  just 
eleven  hundred  dollars  poorer  that  when  I  commenced.  As 
far  as  I  was  known  at  all  in  the  chm-ch,  I  was  known  to  be 
a  strenuous  advocate  for  ministers  giving  theinselves  wholly 
to  the  work  of  the  ministry.  Up  to  this  time  I  had  never 
added  one  dollar  to  my  income  by  any  secular  calHng.  I 
had  also  said  much  and  written  something  in  opposition  to 
ministers  sending  their  churches  for  less  than  an  adequate 
support.  Now  I  was  about  to  do  what  seemed  to  militate 
against  all  this.     But  I  viewed  the  case  thus : 

I  considered  Charlottesville  (as  wiser  men  than  I  did)  as 
one  of  the  most  important  positions  in  the  State.  I  had 
been  brought  there  much  against  my  own  wishes,  and  ob- 


Establishes  a  Female  School,  101 

yiously  bj'  the  leadings  of  Providence.  I  enjoyed,  to  an  ex- 
tent far  beyond  1113'  merits,  not  only  the  confidence  and  love 
of  the  little  clinrch,  but  also  of  a  constantly  widening  circle 
not.  belonging  to  tlie  churcli.  I  'vvas  convinced  that,  if  I 
left,  no  one  whom  the  people  would  approve  NNould  be  will- 
ing to  go  there.  Such  a  salary  as  they  could  give  v.ould 
not  command  the  services  of  such  a  man  as  they  ought  to 
have. 

After  I  had  gone  there,  and  before  I  had  accepted  their 
call,  having  only  promised  to  stay  for  a  short  time,  I  was 
assured  by  a  committee  of  the  session  of  one  of  the  largest 
and  best  churches  in  the  Yalley  of  Virginia,  that  the  church 
would  give  me  a  call  if  only  I  would  say  that  I  had  declined 
the  call  to  Charlottesville.  This  committee  visited  me  to 
■press  the  subject.  Had  I  encom'aged  them  I  would  have 
furnished  the  church  and  the  world  with  another  instance, 
already  too  common,  of  consulting  my  ease  and  reputation 
rather  than  my  duty.  I  accordingly  determined,  while  tlais 
committee  were  with  me,  to  remain  in  Charlottesville,  and 
told  them  so. 

As  to  the  other  point — the  secular  school  teaching — I  have 
this  to  say:  So  small  a  church,  and  one  so  compact,  could 
not  demand  more  than  half  my  time,  leaving  the  other  half 
to  be  employed  in  any  way  which  might  promise  to  promote 
directly  the  proper  work  of  the  ministry.  The  sch  )()1  would 
call  before  me,  and  bring  directly  under  my  influence  every 
day,  a  large  number  of  the  girls  of  my  own  congregation 
and  of  others ;  for,  while  the  school  was  to  be  strictly  Chris- 
tian, it  would  n.)t  be  sectarian.  A  school  might  be  made, 
without  oflence  to  any  right-minded  men,  an  eiieri/  day  con- 
gregation, to  which  the  gospel  might  be  fully  dispensed, 
omitting  a  few  points  about  which  the  true  people  of  God 
differ.  Accordingly,  it  was  commenced  on  these  j^rinciples. 
All  denominations  patronized  it.  The  Scriptures  were  dili- 
gently studied,  and  the  God  of  the  Scriptures  worshipi^ed. 


102  The  School  a  Nursery  to  the  Church. 

[Dr.  White  felt  his  responsibility  for  the  conversion  and 
growth  in  grace  of  every  pupil  in  his  school,  as  he  did  for 
every  member  of  his  congregation.  He  was  not  content 
with  setting  them  a  godly  example,  but  made  direct  and  af- 
fectionately earnest  appeals  to  them  individually  on  the  sub- 
ject of  personal  salvation.  As  they  were  usually  reticent, 
and  had  difficulty  in  expressing  their  feelings  orally,  he  en- 
couraged them  to  Avrite  him  letters  asking  questions  about 
religion,  and  stating  all  their  feelings  on  the  subject.  Many 
of  these  letters  are  now  in  our  possession,  carefully  preserved 
by  Dr.  "White  throughout  his  life.  His  interest  in  his 
scholars  lasted  while  he  lived. 

Is  it  any  wonder  that  a  large  boarding-school,  conducted 
in  this  way,  should  be  \isited  with  re\dval  after  revival,  and 
that  the  scholars  under  his  care,  should  imbibe  religious 
principles  that  would  mould  their  character  and  sha^e  their 
life  forever?] 

This,  to  a  great  extent,  was  the  discipline  of  the  school. 
I  soon  became  satisfied  that  I  was  as  legitimately,  and  even 
more  successfully,  employed  in  the  work  of  the  ministry  than 
I  had  ever  been.  Ministers  of  the  gosjDel  who  aided  me  in 
my  sacramental  meetings  would  frequently  go  to  the  acad- 
emy on  Monday  morning  to  join  in  the  devotional  exercises 
held  at  the  opening  of  the  school.  They  often  said,  when 
these  services  ended,  "Why,  this  has  been  the  best  and  most 
promising  meeting  we  have  yet  had." 

The  Eev.  Dr.  Ai'ch.  Alexander  spent  several  days  with  me 
during  his  last  visit  to  Virginia.  He  was  present  more  than 
once,  addressed  the  school,  spent  an  hour  or  two  in  walking 
through  the  rooms,  and  at  the  close  of  his  visit  said:  "If 
you  should  be  called  to  another  pastoral  charge,  your  chief 
difficulty  would  be  in  parting  with  this  school.  It  is  a  power- 
ful handmaid  to  your  ministry." 

The  school  w^as  commenced  with  twelve  pupils,  in  a  small 
and  inconvenient  building.     I  w^as  old-fashioned  enough  in 


Thr  School  Flourishes.  103 

my  views  to  think  that  the  true  phm  was  to  begin  with  a 
few  scholars,  and  so  teach  and  govern  tliem  as  to  gain  tho 
confidence  of  the  pubUc,  and  make  the  impression  that  a 
larger  and  better  building  was  needed,  and  also  to  have 
such  able  and  ample  instruction  provided  that  the  public 
might  see  there  was  to  be  no  lack  of  teaching  of  the  best 
sort.  A  consequence  of  this  was  tl:at,  as  the  school  did  not 
exceed,  diu'ing  the  first  term,  thirty  pupils,  I  paid  more  for 
assistants  than  the  whole  income  amounted  to.  In  this  way 
I  lost,  the  first  year,  about  $200. 

Another  purpose  was  that,  as  I  was  fully  determined  this 
school  should  not  hinder  but  help  my  ministry,  I  would  have 
competent  teachers  in  sufficient  numbers  to  cany  it  on  in  my 
absence  about  as  well  as  when  I  was  present.  Thus,  I  was 
enabled  to  attend  protracted  meetings  in  other  congrega- 
tions, meetings  of  Presbyter}^  and  Synod  and  of  the  directors 
of  Union  Theological  Seminary,  as  regularly  as  if  I  had  had 
no  school.  This  detracted  greatly  from  my  pecuniary  profits ; 
but  to  this  I  cheerfully  consented. 

The  house  in  which  I  commenced  became  too  small.  The 
]Deople  all  saw  and  felt  this.  My  purpose  was  accomphshed. 
We  mnst  have  a  larger  building ;  the  size  of  the  school  de- 
manded it.  The  requisite  funds  were  soon  raised,  a  lot  and 
plan  agreed  upon,  and  a  suitable  building  erected.  The 
school  grew  steadily  until  it  reached  nearly  an  hundred 
pupils.  I  had  charge  of  it  just  ten  years.  The  average, 
during  these  3'ears,  w^as  seventy  pupils,  thirty-five  of  whom 
were  boarders. 

God  was  pleased  to  (jwn  and  bless  this  school  greatly.  A 
gratifying  religious  interest  continued  almost  without  inter- 
ruption during  the  ten  years.  Many  were  truly  converted 
to  God,  and  have  made  bright  ornaments  in  the  chm-ch  of 
Christ.  An  account  of  my  meth(jd  of  conductins^  religious 
awakenings  in  this  school  may  be  found  in  a  small  work,  en- 
titled 71ie  Gospe.l  Ministry^  composed  of  letters  to  two  of 
my  sons.     This  need  not  be  rej^eated  here. 


104  His  Work  Blest. 

I  had  therefore  no  lron1)le  with  conscience,  either  for 
taking  less  than  an  adeqimte  siip2:)ort  from  the  Httle  church, 
nor  for  su23i)lementing'  my  salary  by  foimding  this  school. 

To  the  church  I  preached  twice  every  Sabbath,  and  held 
one  stated  meeting  during  the  week.  I  did  fully  as  much 
l^astoral  A-isitation  as  I  honestly  thought  Avas  profitable  to 
them,  and  found  my  labors  among  those  people  pleasant  and 
useful.  We  enjoyed  two  or  three  seasons  of  revival,  and  a 
goodly  number  of  valuable  members  were  added  to  the 
church.  Meantime,  I  secured  the  means  of  furnishing  my 
children  wdth  the  best  literary  advantages  which  that  highly 
favored  place  afforded.  My  two  oldest  sons  graduated  at 
the  University  of  Virginia,  and  my  oldest  daughter  comv 
pleted  the  entire  course  of  my  own  seminary.  The  three 
younger  children  had  all  made  a  very  favorable  beginning 
with  their  education  when  I  removed  to  another  field. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

1836-1848. 

Univeesity  of  Vieginia,  — Mr.  Jeffeeson  sees  his  Mistake. — Popular 
Demand  for  Religious  Insteuction.  — Denominational  Rotation 
IX  THE  Chaplaincy. — Himself  Chaplain  in  1840.— Health  Breaks 
Down. — Peof.  Davis  Shot  by  a  Student. — His  Death. — Funeeal. 
— Note  on  the  Sermon  by  Rev.  De.  Dabney.  — New  Eea  in  the  Re- 
ligious History  of  the  University.  — Anecdote  about  Dr.  Speece. 
— Chaplain  a  Second  Time  (1844). — Rev.  D,  B.  Ewing  Secured 
AS  Assistant. — Health  Fails  Again. — The  "Aliquis  Conteo- 
vebsy." — List  op  his  Publications. — Gov.  T.  W.  Gilmer — His 
Teagical  Death.— Funeral  — Illustrative  Incident. — A  Cause 
OF  THE  Prevailing  Deism  in  Vieginia  —Prof.  VV.  H.  McGuffey 
- — Opposition  to  Him  because  a  Ministee  of  the  Gospel. — An- 
ecdote.— Review  op  De.  Coopee's  "Life  op  Peiestly,"by  Dk. 
Jno.  H.  Rice. — De.  White's  Impress  on  Charlottesville  and 
Albemarle  County,  by  a  Member  of  the  Methodist  Church. 

"  A  healthy  aud  well-toned  spiritual  life 
Is  mth  him  the  furthest  removed  from  asceticism." 

THE  Fniversity  of  Virginia  was  ox^ened  in  1824.  Mr.  Jef- 
ferson brought  over  from  Europe  professors  of  some 
literary  distinction,  but  of  loose  religious  principles.  In 
the  beginning  they  allowed  no  form  of  rehgious  worship 
within  the  precincts  of  the  University.  The  discipline  was 
extremely  defective  The  confidence  reposed  in  it,  and  the 
2)atronage  extended  to  it,  were  aluKJst  wholly  conhned  to  a 
hmited  portion  of  the  people.  They  chiefly  belonged  to  the 
deistical  aristocracy  of  Virginia,  a  party  then,  I  am  sorry  to 
say,  large  and  influential.  But  the  whole  thing  worked  so 
badly  that,  in  less  than  two  years  after  it  opened,  Mr. 
Jefferson  had  to  re^dse  the  whole  system  of  discipline,  and 

105 


106  The  University  of  Virginia. 

proi:>ose  to  the  Board  of  Visitors,  which  met  about  the  time 
of  his  death,  in  1826,  a  very  unexceptionable  system  of 
b^'-laws.  He  also  proposed  that  each  denomination  of  Chris- 
tians should  be  invited  to  establisli  a  professorship  of  theol- 
ogy in  connection  with  the  University.  He  did  not  live  to 
cany  this  measm-e  through,  and  it  failed. 

But  not  many  years  after  his  death — three,  I  think — the 
necessity  for  some  religious  influence  became  so  great,  and 
the  demand  for  it  from  Christian  people  of  every  denomina- 
tion so  clamorous,  that  the  faculty  and  students  were  autho- 
rized to  elect  a  chaplain.  The  plan  agreed  upon  was  to  se- 
lect one  from  each  of  the  prevailing  denominations — the 
Methodists,  Baptists,  Episcopalians,  and  Presbyterians — 
who  should  serve  one  year  each  in  rotation.  For  two  or 
three  years  this  plan  worked  indiiferently ;  but  at  length  it 
got  into  successful  operation.  One  of  the  medical  profes- 
sors, Dr.  Magill,  and  the  professor  of  law,  Mr.  Davis,  be- 
came earnest  and  active  Christian  men.  The  former  was  a 
Presbyterian,  and  the  latter  an  Episcopalian.  This  was 
soon  followed  by  the  conversion  of  Dr.  Harrison,  Professor 
of  Ancient  Languages.  He  became  a  Methodist.  A  great 
change  began  to  appear  at  once.  They  succeeded  in  get- 
ting, about  the  year  1834,  a  talented  and  efficient  chaplain. 
He  was  followed  by  others,  for  several  years,  from  other 
branches  of  the  church,  like  minded  with  himself.  There 
began  to  ai)pear,  among  the  students,  young  men  of  decided 
Christian  character.  Most  of  the  English  j)rofessors  left. 
The  Board  of  Visitors  adopted  the  wise  policy  of  selecting 
young  Virginians  of  j)i'omise,  and  by  degrees  the  religious 
element  in  the  faculty  became  strong.  The  confidence  of 
the  public  generally  was  gradually  secured,  and  the  number 
of  students  increased. 

In  the  summer  of  1840,  when  my  academy  had  been  in 
operation  two  years,  it  was  again  the  turn  of  the  Presb^^te- 
rian  Church  to  furnish  a  chaplain.     I  was  greatly  surprised 


Elected  Chaplain.  107 

to  receive,  from  the  faculty  aud  students,  the  offer  of  this 
position.  It  seemed  impossible  for  me  to  add  to  my  pastoral 
charge  and  the  superintendence  of  the  academy  this  office. 
But  as  the  two  former  were  permanent  and  the  chaplaincj' 
temporary — extending  only  through  a  single  session — I  could 
not  think  of  resigning  either  of  those  for  the  sake  of  this; 
and  to  assume  the  labor  and  responsibility  of  all  three  seemed 
unwise,  and  even  foolish.  But  my  congregation  favored,  and 
I  accepted  it.  Now  came  an  amount  of  labor  that  had  well-- 
nigh  put  an  end  to  my  life.  I  preached  every  Sabbath 
morning  at  the  University  and  every  Sabbath  afternoon  in 
town.  I  held  a  lecture  one  evening  in  the  week  at  each 
place;  taught  in  the  academy  laboriously  six  hours  on  each 
of  five  days  in  the  week ;  and  as  the  New  and  Old  School  con- 
troversy was  then  in  full  blast,  I  carried  on  an  extensive 
correspondence,  and  Avrote  a  good  deal  for  the  press.  To 
accomplish  this,  I  slept  but  little,  and  took  very  little  exer- 
cise. Near  the  end  of  this  session  my  health  failed.  I  was 
compelled,  as  soon  as  the  University  term  expired,  to  sus- 
pend labor  of  ever^^  sort.  Two  months'  rest  nearly  re- 
stored my  health,  and  I  resumed  my  work  in  my  church 
and  school. 

On  the  12th  of  November,  1840,  about  two  months  after 
my  service  as  chaplain  to  the  University  commenced,  the 
excellent  Professor  Davis  was  shot  by  a  turbulent  student. 
On  Friday  night  of  that  date,  Professor  Davis  w^as  inter- 
rupted at  his  family  worship  by  the  firing  of  pistols  on  the 
lawn,  just  in  front  of  his  residence.  When  the  worship  was 
ended,  he  stepped  out  to  see  the  occasion  of  the  disturbance, 
and  near  his  front  door  discovered  a  student,  masked  and 
otherwise  disguised,  with  a  pistol  in  his  hand.  On  advanc- 
ing to  apprehend  him,  the  student  fired,  and  he  fell.  He 
survived  until  Saturday  afternoon,  Avhen,  at  five  o'clock,  he 
expired.  I  was  with  hhn  in  his  last  moments,  heard  his 
last  words,  and  saw  him  draw  his  last  breath.     With  great 


108  MuEDER  OF  Professor  Davis. 

clearness  lie  reaffirmed  his  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  as 
the  only  ground  of  his  hope  of  salvation,  then  gave  his  dying 
blessing  to  his  two  eldest  sons,  both  of  whom  w^ere  kneeling 
at  the  side  of  his  bed.  He  requested  me  to  lead  in  prayer ; 
then  asked,  "Where  are  my  colleagues?"  So  many  as  could 
be  collected  were  soon  present.  He  evidently  desired  to 
speak  to  them  at  some  length,  but  the  powers  of  nature  were 
too  far  exhausted.  He  could  say  but  little,  and  that  little 
'was  in  broken  sentences.  Taking  one  of  them  by  the  hand, 
he  said,  "  Through  CJirUt — die  happy — noii  all  too" 

All  were  in  tears.  Dr.  Harrison,  whose  hand  he  held, 
said,  "Do  you  mean  that  through  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
you  now  die  happy,  and  through  him  we  may  all  die  in  the 
same  way?" 

"Yes,  yes;  that  is  my  meaning;  so  may  it  be."  He  spoke 
no  more,  and  in  a  few  moments  he  slept  quietly  in  Jesus. 

The  impression  made  by  the  cause  and  manner  of  this 
death  cannot  be  described.  Intellectually,  socially,  and  re- 
ligiously, Professor  Davis  was  one  of  the  first  men  of  his  age 
and  country.  He  had  been  one  of  a  committee  of  three  who 
had  edited  and  published  The  TJfe  and  Corres<2iondence  of 
Tliomas  Jefferson.  At  that  time  he  sympathized  with  the 
well  known  deistical  sentiments  of  the  great  statesman.  He 
had  even  favored,  in  opposition  to  the  opinion  of  one  of  the 
committee,  the  insertion  of  those  letters,  and  especially  the 
one  to  John  Adams,  that  gave  such  offence  to  the  whole 
Christian  church.  But  soon  after  this,  a  sermon  by  the 
Rev.  Daniel  Baker,  D.  D.,  on  popular  objections  to  Christi- 
anity, arrested  his  attention,  and  led  ultimately  to  the  utter 
renunciation  of  his  former  creed,  and  to  as  cordial  a  recep- 
tion of  the  gospel.  In  a  word,  he  became  a  thoroughly  con- 
certed man,  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  and  to  the 
hour  of  his  death  illustrated  his  faith  by  a  lovely  and  useful 
Christian  life.  Although  he  belonged  to  a  different  branch 
of  the  church  from  my  own,  when  I  became  chaplain  his 


Professor  Davis'  Funeral.  109 

abounding  kindness  to  me  could  not  have  been  surpassed 
had  I  been  a  minister  of  his  own  denomination. 

His  was  the  first  house  of  a  professor  iu  the  University  of 
Virginia  ever  opened  for  o.  social  prayer-meeting.  The  ex- 
cellent Dr.  Magill  had  died  just  before  I  was  chosen  chap- 
lain, and  hence  there  w'as  no  professor  belonging  to  my  own 
church  there.  But  Professor  Davis'  warm  piety  and  en- 
Hghtened  liberality  made  amends  for  this.  In  my  many 
visits  to  his  delightful  family,  and  in  my  free  and  frequent 
interviews  w^ith  him  on  religious  subjects,  it  rarely  occurred 
to  me  that  he  belonged  to  one  branch  of  the  church  and  I 
to  another. 

On  the  Monday  succeeding  his  death,  his  funeral  was  held 
in  the  rotimda  of  the  University.  It  devolved  upon  me  to 
preach  on  the  occasion ;  and  it  was  such  an  occasion  as  rarely 
occurs  in  this  world.  The  crowd  was  immense,  and  the  grief 
almost  imcontrollable.  Not  only  children  and  ladies,  but  the 
sternest  men,  from  the  learned  professor  to  the  humblest 
peasant,  were  bathed  in  tears  from  the  commencement  to 
the  close  of  the  service. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  R.  L.  Dabney  has  a  note  on  this  funeral, 
which  will  be  read  with  interest : 

"The  startling  occasion,  the  unique  nature  of  the  calamity, 
the  distinction  of  the  victim,  and  the  place,  all  conspired  to 
excite  the  people  to  an  intense  pitch.  The  notice  allowed 
the  chaplain  for  the  preparation  of  a  discourse  was  brief. 
He  felt  much  embarrassed  about  a  suitable  topic.  He  had 
concluded  to  take  up  the  doctrine  of  the  divine  ly^ovidencey 
and  endeavor  to  improve  the  occasion,  to  enforce  it  argumen- 
tatively,  and  he  was  "experiencing  that  inexpressible  embar- 
rassment and  pain  which  the  literary  ma.i  knows  so  sadly, 
when  he  forces  himself  to  a  line  of  thought  out  of  harmony 
with  the  instincts  of  his  soul.  A^'llen  almost  in  a  state  of 
desperation  about  his  composition,  he  received  a  visit  from 
Professor  P.  Powers   (now  a  clergyman  of  the  Episcojoal 


110  The  University's  Great  Loss. 

Church,  then  principal  of  a  classical  seminary  in  Charlottes- 
ville), who  asked  him  ^vhat  subject  he  had  adopted.  When 
Dr.  White  told  him  he  said,  *Now,  that  is  all  wrong;  the 
peojDle  are  feeling  intensely,  and  will  be  in  no  mood  for  ab- 
stract discussion.  There  is  a  providence,  as  you  and  I  know, 
and  such  dispensations  of  his  plans  as  this  are  themselves 
the  only  demonstration  needed.  Let  me  advise  you  to  change 
your  plan;  take  a  simpler  view  of  truth,  and  merely  aim  to 
give  expression  to  the  emotions  which  now  flood  every  mind.' 
Dr.  White  at  once  acceded  to  this  advice.  He  threw  his  in- 
cipient preparation  away,  and  adopted  a  text  which  sug- 
gested the  contrast  between  the  blessedness  of  the  righteous 
in  the  extreme  hour  and  the  misery  of  sin.  The  result  was 
one  of  the  happiest  efforts  of  his  life.  He  spoke  in  a  strain  of 
noble,  evangelical  eloquence,  with  inimitable  pathos,  which 
swayed  all  hearts,  '  as  the  trees  of  the  forest  are  bent  by  the 
wind.'  The  learned  and  cultivated  professors  were  as  com- 
pletely borne  away  by  his  unction  as  the  impulsive  youth. 
The  w^hole  audience  was  bathed  in  tears.  The  angry  excite- 
ment and  fierce  tension  of  the  public  mind  were  replaced  by 
Christian  sympathy  and  tenderness." 

The  University  had  lost,  b}^  the  hand  of  violence,  one  of 
its  brightest  ornaments,  the  poor  one  of  their  most  generous 
benefactors,  and  the  church  of  Christ  one  of  its  firmest 
pillars. 

One  of  the  last  petitions  he  uttered,  as  he  died,  was, 
"God  bless  my  family."  There  were  seven  children,  four 
sons  and  three  daughters.  The  eldest  was  about  seventeen 
years,  and  the  youngest  about  six  months  old.  God's  bless- 
ing has  rested  upon  them  in  a  most  remarkable  degree.  Two 
of  the  sons  became  ministers  of  the  gospel  in  the  Episcopal 
Church,  and  all  the  children  consistent  and  useful  members 
of  the  same. 

The  Hfe  and  death  of  Professor  Davis  mark  a  new  era  in 
the  religious  history  of  the  University.     Soon  after,  Profes- 


Wickedness  of  Charlottesville.  Ill 

sor  and  Mrs.  Cabell  became  earnest  Christians.  The  at- 
tendance on  divine  Avorship  became  larger  and  more  solemn, 
and  during  the  term  several  students  professed  faith  in 
Christ.  A  Sabbath-school,  composed  chiefly  of  the  children 
of  the  professors  and  the  hotel  keepers,  and  a  Bible-class, 
composed  of  students,  were  well  sustained;  and  the  religi- 
ous influence  diffused  through  the  institution  became  strcjng 
and  controlling.  This  went  on  to  increase  from  year  to  year, 
until  parents  throughout  the  country  were  brought  to  see 
that  the  moral  and  religious  character  of  their  sous  was  as 
safe  there  as  anywhere. 

The  village  and  neighborhood  of  Charlottesville  had,  al- 
most from  time  immemorial,  been,  not  only  as  irrehgious, 
but  as  anti-religious  as  any  community  in  the  State.  As 
late  as  1824,  or  near  that  time,  there  was  not  a  house  of 
worship  in  the  village  or  its  immediate  vicinit}'.  The  num- 
ber of  professing  Christians  was  very  small.  Dissipation  of 
a  certain  genteel  sort  was  very  common.  Deistical  senti- 
ments were  widely  diffused  and  unblushingly  avowed.  Dr. 
Conrad  Sj)eece,  in  passing  through  the  town  about  the  year 
1818,  attempted  to  preach  one  night  in  the  courthouse,  but 
well-nigh  failed  because  of  the  insufficient  light  and  the 
rudeness  of  the  boys.  He  spent  the  night  at  the  hotel,  and 
such  were  the  sentiments  uttered  in  his  hearing  by  promi- 
nent gentlemen,  and  such  the  ill  conduct  of  the  young  men 
frequenting  the  tavern,  that  he  said,  in  the  house  of  a  friend 
the  next  day,  "When  Satan  promised  all  the  kingdoms  of 
the  world  to  Christ,  Jie  laid  Jas  thumb  on  Charlottesville, 
and  whispered, '  Except  this  place,  which  I  reserve  for  my  own 
special  use.' " 

Early  in  the  year  18"6,  about  the  time  I  went  there,  the 
Eev.  Richard  K.  Meade,  son  of  the  excellent  Bishop  Wm. 
Meade,  took  charge  of  the  Ej^iscopal  Church;  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Poindexter,  a  man  of  decided  talent  and  undoubted  piety, 
became  pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church ;  the  IMethodists  erected 


112  Re-appointed  Chaplain  of  the  Unwersity. 

a  neat  and  commodious  house  of  worship,  and  hvA  for  their 
first  stationed  minister  the  Eev.  Mr.  Riddick,  an  excellent 
and  able  man.  The  Spirit  of  Christ  dwelt  in  these  servants 
of  our  Lord,  and  the  work  of  reformation  went  forward,  not 
rapidly,  but  steadily  aid  efficiently.  All  these  churches 
grew  so  that,  within  thirty  j-ears  from  the  time  of  Dr. 
Speece's  visit — that  is  to  say,  in  1818 — the  Christian  religion, 
as  held  by  these  four  denominations,  was  as  widely  diffused 
and  exerted  as  controlling  an  influence  in  and  around  Char- 
lottesville as  in  any  part  of  the  country  with  which  I  was 
acquainted.  There  were  not  more  than  two  or  three  gen- 
tlemen who  did  not  habitually  attend  some  place  of  worship, 
and  who  did  not  consider  themselves  identified  with  some 
congregation.  Even  such  as  were  not  communicants  at- 
tended church  regularly,  and  sustained  the  ministry  of  the 
gospel  liberally. 

In  1811 1  was  again  appointed  chaplain  of  the  University 
of  Virginia.  Fearing  to  attempt  what  I  had  undertaken 
before,  with  the  cordial  consent  of  my  church  and  Presby- 
tery, I  engaged  the  services  of  Rev,  Daniel  B.  Ewing,  then 
just  licensed  as  a  probationer  for  the  gospel  ministry,  to 
take  temporary  charge  of  the  church,  while  I  confined  my- 
self to  the  academy  and  University.  Notwithstanding  the 
fact  that  this  greatly  lightened  my  labor,  and  proved  to  be 
both  agreeable  and  useful  to  myself  and  the  chui'ch,  yet  my 
health  began  to  decHne.  In  quick  succession  I  had  two  at- 
tacks of  illness  which  seriously  threatened  my  life.  My 
ph^'sicians  began  to  fear  that  my  constitution  was  under- 
mined, and  to  intimate  that,  if  I  persisted  in  being  both 
pastor  and  teacher,  I  must  soon  die.  But  I  secured  the 
services  of  another  assistant  teacher,  reduced  my  corres- 
pondence, and  wrote  less  for  the  newspapers,  went  to  bed 
earlier  and  rose  later,  and  thus  regained  my  health  in  part. 

I  would  remark,  in  passing,  for  the  sake  of  my  children, 
that  if  they  have  any  curiosity  on  the  subject,  and  can  get 


His  Publications.  113 

access  to  the  files  of  the  Southern  Religious  Telegraph  from 
1834  to  1837,  they  will  find,  over  the  signature  of  "Ob- 
server," articles  havin^^  more  or  hiss  reference  to  what  was 
then  widely  known  as  the  "  Aliqiiis  Controversy,"  and  some- 
times occasional  articles  over  one  or  more  of  my  initials,  on 
subjects  not  now  remembered.  In  the  files  of  The  Watch- 
man of  the  South,  from  1837  to  1848,  they  will  find  a  series 
of  articles  on  the  sin  of  gambling,  another  on  the  evils  of 
promiscuous  dancing,  another  on  the  life  and  character  of 
Uncle  Jack,  the  African  preacher,  another  on  "so  preaching 
that  many  may  believe,"  signed  "Iota."  The}"  will  also  find 
quite  a  number  of  biographical  sketches  of  friends  recently 
dead,  besides  many  obituaries.  Of  the  biographical  sketches, 
the  most  extended  they  will  find  about  the  close  of  1844,  con- 
sisting of  nine  articles  on  "The  Social  and  Eeligious  Char- 
acter of  Governor  Thomas  AY.  Gilmer,  late  Secretary  of  the 
Navy." 

This  reference  is  made  chiefly  because  scarcely  any  of 
these  articles  are  now  in  my  jDossession,  either  in  manuscript 
or  in  i:>rint.  They  will  also  find  scattered  through  these 
pages,  usually  over  my  initials,  accounts  of  church  meetings, 
revivals,  and  other  religious  news  of  local  interest.  I  have 
published  but  two  sermons — one  on  the  evils  of  drunkenness, 
and  another  on  the  necessity  of  intelligence  and  piety  to  the 
perpetuity  of  republican  government.  These  have  long  since 
perished.  I  did  not  think  them  worthy  of  preservation.  In 
this  the  pubhc  seems  to  have  agreed  with  me,  although  they 
were  both  pubhshed  at  the  earnest  solicitation  and  at  the 
expense  of  the  public.  I  also  pubhsked  "  A  Plea  for  Sympa- 
thy on  the  Part  of  the  Church  for  her  Ministers. "  A  series 
of  letters  to  "A  Son  in  the  Ministry,"  and  to  "A  Son  out  of 
the  Seminary,"  published  in  The  Central  Presbyterian  of  a 
more  reomit  date,  have  been  published  in  a  small  volume.  I 
hnve  doubtless  failed  to  remember  many  isolated  fugitive 
pieces.  But  no  matter,  what  is  not  worth  remembering  is 
8 


114  Governor  T.  W.  Gilmer. 

not  worth  knowing.  Much  the  greater  part  of  my  life  has 
been  too  much  of  an  out-door  Hfe.  I  have  spent  too  much 
of  my  time  in  the  society  of  men,  and  too  httle  in  that  of 
books,  for  success  as  a  writer;  but  necessity  seemed  laid 
ujDon  me. 

Go\ERNOR  T.  AV.  Gilmer. 

Keturning  from  this  digression,  I  would  remark  that, 
early  in  the  same  year,  1844,  occuiTed  a  tragedy  much  like 
that  of  the  death  of  Professor  DaAds.  I  refer  to  the  death 
of  the  late  Governor  Thomas  "W.  Gilmer.  This  gentleman 
was  born  and  educated  in  Albemarle  county.  His  ancestors 
and  connections  were  among  the  most  reputable  in  the  State. 
Entering  professional  life  prior  to  the  opening  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Virginia,  his  early  literary  advantages  were  not  of 
the  best  sort.  This  defect,  however,  was  supplied  in  part 
by  the  vigor  of  his  intellect,  the  amiability  of  his  temper,  the 
attractions  of  a  very  engaging  person,  and  the  energy  of  un- 
wearied self-culture.  It  is  sufficient  here  to  say  that  he  rose 
rapidly  from  the  editorship  of  a  small  village  newsj^aper  to 
the  jn-ofession  of  the  law,  to  a  seat  in  the  Legislature  of  his 
State,  to  the  speakership  of  that  body,  and  to  the  office  of 
Governor  of  the  Commonwealth,  before  he  was  thirty-eight 
years  old.  When  his  services  as  Governor  ended,  he  was 
chosen  to  a  seat  in  Congress,  and  then  to  the  Secretaryship 
of  the  Nav}'.  Earely,  if  ever,  has  so  young  a  man  reached  a 
i:)osition  of  such  influence  and  distinction. 

''Shortly  after  Mr.  Polk  b'jcame  President,  in  consequence 
of  the  death  of  William  Henr^-  Harrison,  the  Oregon  boun- 
daiy  dispute  with  England  led  to  the  development  of  a  war 
spirit  throughout  this  country,  which,  to  some  extent,  was 
shared  by  members  of  Congress  and  executive  officials-  at 
Washington.  Two  large  guns  were  manufactured,  called 
the  'Oregon'  and 'Peacemaker,' of  which  the  militarv  au- 
thorities were  very  proud,  and  swelling  boasts  were  indulged 
in  of  the  effects  of  which  these  weapons  were  capable  if 


A  Memorable  Accident.  115 

called  into  actual  service.  On  the  28th  of  February,  1844, 
at  the  invitation  of  CajDtain  Stockton,  a  large  company  of 
officials  and  persons  of  distinction  from  Washington  went 
on  board  the  Princeton  at  Alexandria,  it  having  been  ar- 
ranged that  a  demonstration  should  be  given  of  the  power 
of  the  new  guns,  with  which  the  vessel  had  been  eqni2)ped. 
The  party  included  the  President  of  the  United  States,  and 
the  heads  of  the  several  departments,  with  their  families. 
After  the  vessel  had  gone  down  the  Potomac,  past  Fort 
Washington,  to  a  point  where  the  river  was  wide  enough  to 
afford  scoj)e  for  the  desired  experiments,  the  gun,  *  Peace- 
maker,' was  fired  several  times  with  entire  satisfaction.  A 
dinner  was  then  given,  at  which  many  toasts  were  honored, 
the  President  proposing  'the  Oregon,'  'the  Peacemaker,' 
and '  Captain  Stockton';  Miss  Wickliffe,  daughter  of  the  Post- 
master-general, proposed  'the  American  f (I g,  the  only  thing 
American  that  will  hear  stripes,''  which  was  received  with 
great  enthusiasm.  A  portion  of  the  party  returned  to  the 
deck,  and  it  was  agreed  that  one  more  shot  should  be  fired 
from  the  *  Peacemaker.'  The  gun,  however,  on  this  occa- 
sion exploded  with  terrific  force,  the  pieces  flj'ing  among 
the  adjacent  spectators.  Five  of  these  were  killed  instantly, 
or  so  badly  wounded  that  they  soon  expired:  Judge  Abel 
P.  Upshur,  Secretary  of  State ;  Thomas  W.  Gilmer,  Secre- 
tary of  the  Na\y,  previously  Governor  of  Virginia;  Com- 
modore Kemion,  of  the  Nays';  Virgil  Maxcy,  a  diplomat; 
and  Mr.  Gardner,  of  New  York.  Seventeen  seamen  were 
wounded,  several  mortally.  President  Polk  had  but  a  few 
moments  before  been  standing  where  Secretary  Gilmer  re- 
ceived his  death-blow,  but  having  gone  aft  was  uninjured." 
— New  York  Observer,  March  6,  1844. 

Governor  Gilmer  had  held  the  office  of  Secretary  of  the 
Nav}'  but  two  weeks  when  this  accident  happened.  Mrs. 
Gilmer  accompanied  him  on  the  excursion.  He  never 
breathed  or  spoke  after  the  explosion  of  the  gun;  for  his 


116  GovEENOK  Gilmer's  Funeral.     . 

bod^'  was  torn  into  two  parts,  barely  held  together  by  a 
small  portion  of  flesh.  His  remains,  attended  by  a  large 
connnittee,  who  went  on  for  them  from  Albemarle,  and  an- 
other from  Washington,  were  brought  for  burial  to  Mount 
Air,  his  native  place,  fifteen  miles  south  of  Charlottesville. 
As  his  2:>astor  I  was  requested  to  meet  and  bury  the  body  at 
that  place.  I  did  so.  His  body,  in  a  metallic  coffin,  with  a 
glass  exhibiting  his  head  and  breast,  was  placed  in  the  pas- 
sage of  the  venerable  homestead. 

The  immense  crowd  that  had  assembled  from  the  sur- 
rounding country  was  admitted,  a  few  at  a  time,  to  this 
passage.  Entering  at  the  front  door,  they  passed  in  silence, 
yet  with  many  tears,  pausing  to  gaze  in  mute  sadness  on  the 
face,  which  was  distinctly  visible  through  the  glass,  and 
"which,  being  wholly  uninjured  by  the  explosion  and  in  a 
state  of  remarkable  preservation,  still  seemed  to  be  that  of 
one  in  calm,  sweet  sleep.  Having  looked  for  a  moment  on 
the  scene,  they  passed  out  through  the  back  door,  and  others 
were  admitted.  The  crowd  was  so  immense  that  much  time 
was  silent  in  this  ceremony.  When  all  had  looked,  and  wept 
that  they  should  see  his  face  no  more,  he  was  carried  to  the 
grave,  and,  with  a  few  words  and  a  prayer,  laid  to  rest  until 
the  morning  of  the  resurrection. 

On  the  following  Sabbath  a  funeral  service  was  held  in  the 
Presbyterian  Church  in  Charlottesville.  My  text  on  the  occa- 
sion was  Psalm  xcvii.  2:  "Clouds  and  darkness  are  round 
about  him;  righteousness  and  judgment  are  the  habitation  of 
his  throne."  The  crowd  of  attendants  was  immense.  Every 
house  of  worship  in  the  place,  except  the  Presbyterian,  was 
closed,  and  the  ministers  of  the  Methodist,  Baptist  and 
Episcopal  churches  sat  in  the  pulpit  with  me.  Each  took  a 
part  in  the  devotional  exercises  of  the  morning.  Notwith- 
standing it  was  the  10th  of  March,  and  the  weather  very 
wintiy,  the  windows  were  all  raised  and  the  doors  opened  to 
give  the  crowd  who  could  not  enter  an  opportunity  to  hear. 


Governor  Gilmer's  Deep  Piety.  117 

After  filling-  the  \iu\\,  tliey  filled  the  streets  in  front  and  on 
the  western  side  of  the  church.  Not  only  did  the  ladies  fill 
the  house  completely,  but  nuiny  sat  in  their  carriages  and 
others  stood  through  the  whole  service  in  the  yard.  In  the 
course  of  the  sermon  I  read  a  letter  to  Mrs.  Gilmer  by  her 
husband,  written  a  few  months  before  his  death.  During 
the  reading  of  this  letter  the  feelings  of  the  innnense  audi- 
ence became  uncontrollable,  and  very  many  wept  aloud. 

Governor  Gihner  was  one  of  only  five  male  members  whom 
I  found  in  the  Charlottesville  Church^  He  had  then  been  a 
member  of  the  church  three  or  four  years.  He  received  me 
with  great  cordiality,  and  gave  me  the  full  benefit  of  his 
great  influence.  No  minister  ever  enjoyed  more  delightful 
intercourse  v.ith  a  member  of  his  church  than  I  did  with 
him.  His  social  qualities  were  of  the  highest  ord^r,  and  his 
piety  unquestionable. 

An  illustrative  incident,  not  mentioned  for  prudential  rea- 
sons in  the  sketches  of  his  life  i  published,  may  be  stated 
here.  Just  before  he  left  home  to  assume  the  duties  of 
Governor  he  had  the  misfortune  to  differ  in  opinion  with  a 
ruling  elder  of  the  church,  a  Christian  gentleman  of  most 
exemplary  character,  and  one  with  whom  he  had  been  on 
terms  of  great  intimacy  from  his  early  youth.  This  differ- 
ence ended  in  such  ill-feeling  that  the}-  parted  without 
speaking.  Soon  after  reaching  Eichmond,  lio  wrote  to  me 
thus:  "I  am  neither  a  better  nor  happier  man  for  the  office 
to  wliich  I  have  been  promoted.  Much  of  the  unhappiness 
I  feel  results  from  the  alienation  which  has  arisen  between 
R and  myself.     Cannot  you  adjust  iiiis  difficulty?'' 

Before  I  had  time  to  do  anything  in  the  matter,  he  came 

to  C .    He  arrived  on  Saturday  night  bef(  )re  a  communion 

Sabbath.  I  did  not  know  he  had  come  until  I  took  my  seat 
in  the  pulpit  and  saw  him  in  the  congregation.  I  at  once  re- 
membered the  unfriendly  relations  between  him  and  the 
elder  just  about  to  assist  in  celebrating  the  Lord's  Supper. 


118  Anecdote  about  Governor  Gilmer. 

It  was  so  painful  that  I  at  first  thought  of  leaving  the  pulpit 
and  requesting  him  not  to  commune;  but  this  thought  was 
soon  dismissed.  B3'  prayer  and  supplication  I  left  the  issue 
to  God.  When  I  closed  my  sermoii  and  called  the  commu- 
nicants to  the  seats  assigned  them,  Mr.  Gilmer  arose,  came 
forward,  and  took  his  seat  on  a  bench  nearest  the  pulpit  and 
immediately  fronting  me  and  the  table  on  which  the  elements 
were  spread.  He  sat  with  his  arms  folded  and  his  eyes  closed, 
so  that,  when  this  elder  with  whom  he  had  had  trouble  a]}- 
proached  him  with  the  plate  of  sacramental  bread,  he  had 
to  touch  him  gently  to  attract  his  attention.  The  moment 
their  eyes  met  across  the  plate.  Governor  Gilmer  drew  forth 
his  right  hand,  and,  passing  it  over  the  bread,  seized  that 
of  the  elder  with  the  deepest  emotion.  The  feelings  of  Mr. 
R so  overcarae  him  that  he  handed  the  plate  to  another. 

Occurring,  as  it  did,  in  the  face  of  the  congregation,  the 
impression  was  great  and  very  happy.  As  I  walked  from 
church,  falling  in  with  him,  I  said,   "  Governor,  I  want  to 

settle  that  difficulty  between  3'ou  and  R ."     He  replied, 

"You  are  too  late.  It  is  all  settled.  77ie  Lord  settled  It 
to-day.'' 

Like  Professor  Davis,  he  left  a  large,  young  and  interest- 
ing family — a  fond  wife  with  four  sons  and  four  daughters, 
the  eldest  about  eighteen  years,  and  the  youngest  only  a  few 
months  old.  The  infant  died  in  a  few  months  after  its 
father.  The  rest  lived  to  be  grown.  Two  of  the  sons  are 
ministers  of  the  gospel  in  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

I  think  it  was  in  the  year  1844  that  Professor  George 
Tucker,  who  had  filled  the  chair  of  Moral  Philosophy  in  the 
University  for  twenty  years,  resigned.  A  successor  was  to 
be  chosen.  Nt)twithstanding  the  great  and  gratifying  change 
that  had  taken  place  in  this  institution,  and  notwithstand- 
ing the  popular  mind  of  the  State  had  become  so  much  more 
favorable  to  Christianity,  there  stiU  lingered  one  sentiment 
in  both.     The  untold  evils  that  had  accrued  both  to  true  re- 


Professor  W.  H.  McGuffey.  119 

ligiou  and  sound  morality  from  the  dissolute  lives  of  the 
English  parsons  j^rior  to  the  tirst  grea  t  American  Eevolution, 
had  created  in  the  j)ublic  mind  mai.y  and  strong  prejudices 
against  the  whole  clerical  j^rofession,  and  had  intensified 
the  just  abhorrence  almost  universally  felt  for  a  church  es- 
tablishment. 

These  parsons  ^vere  so  strongly  attached  to  such  an  es- 
tablishment and  to  a  monarchical  form  of  government  that, 
on  the  breakmg  out  of  the  Revolution  of  177G,  nearly  all  who 
could  at  once  fled  to  England.  Charity  constrains  me  to 
ascribe  much  of  the  deism  o1  tbe  educated  classes  in  Vir- 
ginia of  that  day  to  this  cause.  And  as  these  parsons, 
though  destitute  of  true  religion,  and  often  very  immoral 
men,  were  nevertheless  well  educated,  from  this  arose  tho 
strong  opposition  to  an  educated  ministry,  which  the  Eev. 
Devereux  Jarrett  of  the  Episcopal  and  the  founders  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  had  to  encounter.  Mr.  Jarrett  lived 
after  the  Eevolution  was  over,  and,  I  think,  was  the  first 
member  of  his  church  who  commenced  the  work  of  giving  a 
new  and  spiritual  life  to  that  communion,  which  efforts  WT.re 
subsequently  so  successfully  seconded  by  the  late  Bishop 
Meade. 

Our  efforts  commenced  some  thirty-five  years  before  the 
Eevolution,  and  we  had  to  contend  w'ith  the  opposition  of 
the  educated  classes  to  an  evangelical  and  those  of  the  il- 
literate to  an  educated  ministry.  But  into  all  this  I  should 
go  no  further.  These  rema-rks  are  made  to  account  in  part 
for  what  occurred  at  the  L'niversity  of  Virginia  in  electing 
a  successor  to  Mr.  Tucker. 

Professor  W.  H.  McGuffey. 

]\Ir.  Dew,  Professor  of  Moral  Philosophy  in  "William  and 

Mary  College,  was  the  candidate  of  one  party,  and  the  Eev. 

"Wm.  H.  McGuffey,  D.  D.,  of  Ohio,  of  the  other.      There 

were  then  seven  visitors,  only  five  of  whom  attended  the 


120  Election  of  Professor  McGurrEY. 

.meeting  at  which  the  election  took  place.  Upon  the  nomi- 
nation of  Dr.  McGuffey,  by  the  Hon.  Wm.  C.  Rives,  the 
question  was  at  once  asked,  Is  he  not  a  minister  of  the  gos- 
pel? On  being  told  that  he  w^as^  strong  opposition  was  at 
once  made  to  him  on  that  ground.  Thus  far  it  had  been 
thought  altogether  wrong  to  permit  one  of  that  hated  class 
to  hold  a  place  in  that  seat  of  learning.  It  was  conceded 
that  they  were  good  enough  in  their  place,  but  a  university 
chair  was  not  that  place.  For  a  long  time  the  vote  stood 
two  for  Dew  and  two  for  McGuffey.  The  presiding  officer 
hesitated  anxiously  as  to  the  casting  vote.  Finally  he  gave 
it  for  McGuffey,  and  he  was  accordingly  declared  elected. 
Now  arose  a  considerable  amount  of  clamor  on  the  part  of 
the  old  party  who  had  been  defeated.  One  of  them,  a  man 
of  consideration,  said  to  me,  "Have  not  you  Christian  peo- 
j)le  gained  enough  in  getting  a  religious  man  into  that 
chair?  Don't  you  see  how  mischievous  it  will  be  for  this 
new  professor  to  be  known  as  a  preacher?  As  he  is  to 
draw  his  salary  from  the  State,  the  people,  not  7,  hut  the 
people,  will  say  that  this  is  but  the  first  step  to  a  reunion  of 
church  and  state." 

To  which  I  replied  as  follows:  "If  Dr.  McGuffey  should 
prove  neglectful  of  or  incompetent  to  his  duties  as  profes- 
sor, or  if  he  should  seek  to  disseminate  his  peculiar  senti- 
ments as  a  Presbyterian,  and  to  proselyte  the  young  men  to 
his  distinctive  faith  as  an  officer  in  a  State  institution,  his 
course  would  be  censurable.  But  if  he  is  both  faithful  and 
able,  as  I  d  )ubt  not  he  wiU  be,  and  if  he  claims  the  privi- 
lege of  addressing  the  people  who  may  be  inclined  to  hear 
him  on  religious  subjects,  and  that  in  a  way  not  to  offend 
any  branch  of  the  church,  he  shcnild  exercise  the  right  to 
do  so."  I  then  asked,  "Is  your  opposition  to  his  preaching 
based  on  the  fact  that  he  is  a  Presbyterian?"  "By  no 
means,"  was  the  prompt  and  emphatic  reply.  "It  would 
be  the  same  were  he  a  Methodist,  Baptist,  or  Episcoj)ahan." 


I 


Opposition  to  Professor  McGuffey.  121 

■**Veiy  well,"  I  said,  •iiiake  war  on  Dr.  McGuffey  on  such 
gi'ounds,  and  all  the  opposition  hitherto  made  to  the  Univer- 
sity will  be  as  a  summer  breeze  to  the  tornado.  Every 
church  in  the  land  will  combine  as  one  man  against  you; 
and  no  institution,  however  richly  endowed,  can  resist  such 
a  combination.  Did  not  your  grwidfatJicr  become  sensible 
of  this  before  he  died?  Nay,  did  he  not,  with  the  Visitors, 
ascertain  that  the}'  must  secure  the  confidence  of  the  Chris- 
tian people  of  the  country,  or  make  no  headway?  You  have 
been  accustomed  to  look  at  the  public  through  one  sort  of  a 
medium,  and  I  through  another  and  widely  different  one. 
You  have  studied  men  as  a  politician,  and  I  as  an  humble, 
but  somewhat  observant,  preacher  of  the  gospel.  It  is  not 
surprising,  therefore,  that  I  should  know  rather  more  than 
YOU  do  of  the  extent  to  which  the  people  of  Virginia  have 
become  a  Christian  people."  .  I  then  went  briefly  into  a 
specification  of  fai'ts  designed  to  confirm  this  statement. 
He  hstened  with  respectful  attention,  reaffirmed  in  a  very 
earnest  manner  that  he  had  no  objection  lo  Dr.  McGuffey's 
preaching,  that  he  designed  only  to  express  his  fears  as  to 
its  influence  on  the  jDublic  mind,  but  now  hoped  that  these 
fears  were  groundless,  and  concluded  by  isaying,  with  a 
smile,  "Let  me  know  when  Dr.  McGuffey  is  to  preach  for 
jou,  and  I  will  come  and  hear  him."  This  distino-nished 
gentleman  did  become  a  warm  friend  and  admirer  of  Dr. 
McGuffey,  both  as  a  professor  and  a  preacher,  from  that 
time. 

The  clamor  subsided,  and  the  University,  with  the  town 
and  surrounding  country,  took  a  higher  stand  than  ever  be- 
fore, both  in  morals  and  religion.  The  University  now 
made  rapid  strides  in  every  Cj[uaHfication  fitted  to  render  a 
great  institution  of  learning  a  great  blessing  both  to  the 
country  and  the  church  of  Christ.  In  a  few  years  the  num- 
ber of  her  students  ranged  from  five  to  six  hundred,  under 
a  system  of  discipline  which  fully  met  every  just  demand, 


122  Discipline  of  Students. 

and  fully  answered  every  wise  and  good  purpose.  Tlie  op- 
position referred  to  grew  out  of  a  mistaken  judgment  as  to 
the  state  of  jDublic  sentiment  throughout  the  country.  The 
truth  is,  that  Christianity,  as  held  and  taught  by  the  Meth- 
odists, Baptists,  Episcopalians  and  Presbyterians,  had  made 
such  silent,  but  efficient  progress,  had  so  gradually,  but  suc- 
cessfully undermined  the  Tom-Paineism  of  a  former  gene- 
ration, that  none  but  close  and  interested  observers  were 
aware  of  the  extent  to  which  this  blessed  work  had  been 
carried  forward. 

It  is  curious  to  recall  the  incidents  occiu'ring  during  the 
transition  state  of  the  University  to  which  I  have  referred, 
some  of  them  apparently  trivial,  yet  each  having  its  place 
and  contributing  its  effect  to  the  general  result.  Take  the 
following  as  one  of  many : 

The  proposition  was  distinctly  made  and  pressed,  as  this 
institution  was  about  to  be  inaugurated,  that  there  should 
be  no  definite  system  of  discipline  established,  but  that  the 
students  should  be  left  to  "their  sense  of  honor"  to  make 
them  studious  and  well-behaved.  This  senseless  proposition 
was  much  discussed.  On  one  occasion,  a  very  plain,  but 
sensible  in:m,  who  had  brought  a  load  of  potatoes  to  market, 
was  a  silent  hstener  to  one  of  these  discussions  held  by  some 
of  the  more  intelhgent  and  prominent  citizens.  Observing 
the  fixed  attention  the  countryman  was  giving  to  their  conver- 
sation, they  asked  him  v»hat  he  thought  of  the  question  under 
consideration.  He  very  promptly  replied,  "It  seems  very 
plain  to  me.  For  my  part,  I  would  as  soon  turn  a  parcel  of 
hogs  into  my  potato-patch,  and  trust  to  their  sense  of 
honor  not  to  root,  as  I  would  bring  a  large  number  of  boys 
together  into  one  school,  from  all  parts  of  the  country,  and 
trust  to  their  sense  of  honor  not  to  misbehave." 

This  Httle  incident,  I  think  it  probable,  helped  on  the 
good  cause  quite  as  much  as  some  of  the  arguments  of  the 
learned. 


I 


De.  Thomas  Cooper.  125 

In  looking-  back  to  the  men  and  measures  contributing  to 
this  important  revohition,  none  seem  more  considerable 
than  the  Eev.  Dr.  John  H.  Rice  and  the  magazine  he  pub- 
lished. 

Mr.  Jefferson  contemplated  at  first  the  establishment  only 
of  "  the  Central  College."  His  success  with  the  Legislature, 
however,  was  such  that  he  felt  warranted  in  enlarging  his 
plans,  until  a  great  university  was  the  result.  This  impor- 
tant movement  arrested  the  attention  and  engaged  the  pen 
of  Dr.  Rice  from  the  beginning.  The  Literary  and  Evan- 
gelical Magazine,  which  he  edited  for  many  years,  may  be 
consulted  for  his  sentiments  on  this  subject.  In  the  volumes 
from  1818  to  1824  the  reader  will  find  the  proposed  plans 
discussed.  The  course  of  instruction,  the  standard  for  ad- 
mission and  graduation,  the  relations  it  should  sustain  to 
the  colleges,  and  its  religious  character,  are  all  discussed  in 
these  volmnes.  A  most  suggestive  fact  is,  that,  as  early 
as  1820,  the  Visitors  elected  Dr.  Thomas  Cooper  their 
first  i^rofessor.  This  gentleman  was  of  Philadelphia,  had 
become  distinguished  in  the  natural  sciences,  but  was  per- 
haps as  unscrupulous  an  enemy  to  evangelical  Christianity 
as  anywhere  existed.  He  had  published  the  Life  of  Dr. 
Joseph  Priestly,  in  which  he  expresses  his  anti-religious 
sentiments  with  the  utmost  boldness.  We  repeat,  this  man, 
elected  to  this  professoi  Bhip  several  years  before  the  Univer- 
sity went  into  operation,  came  on  at  least  one  year  before, 
made  his  home  at  Monticello,  and  received  one  year's  salary 
without  deli  veiling  a  lecture. 

As  yet  there  were  neither  buildings  nor  students.  Dr. 
Rice  reviewed  his  Life  of  Priestly,  and  did  it  so  ably  and 
with  such  effect  that,  on  the  advice  of  Mr.  Jefferson,  he  did 
not  wait  for  the  institution  to  open,  but  went  on  to  South 
Carolina,  where  he  was  made  President  of  their  University, 
and  where  he  remained  long  enough  to  smother  the  life  out 


124  Views  on  the  University  System. 

of  it  A  near  relative  of  Mr.  Jefferson,  and  a  frequent  visi- 
tor at  Monticello,  told  me  that  he  kn»8w  the  great  statesman 
read  these  articles  of  Dr.  Rice,  and  especially  his  review  of 
Cooper,  and  that  it  was  under  the  influence  of  these  writings 
lie  was  dismissed.  This  was  enough  of  itself  to  give  a  new 
form  to  the  institution  from  the  beginning. 

All  Dr.  Eice's  views  in  reference  to  it  prevailed  except 
one.  He  expresses  the  fear  that  it  may  become  the  mere 
rival  of  the  colleges;  that,  to  use  his  own  words,  it  may  be 
made  a  great  academy,  to  which  any  who  please  may  go 
"when  they  please,  study  what  they  please,  and  leave  when 
they  please.  This  I  conceive  to  be  almost,  if  not  altogether, 
th.e  only  defect  in  the  sj^stem  to  this  day.  It  has  been  too 
much — and  is  still  so — a  mere  city  of  refuge  for  idle  boys, 
■who  fail  to  pass  regularly  from  class  to  class  in  college. 
Still,  I  maintain  all  I  have  previously  said  of  its  grent  w^orth 
in  the  cause  of  letters — an  honor  to  its  founders  and  a  bless- 
ing to  the  w  Olid. 

Diu'ing  my  residence  in  Charlottesville  there  was  always 
one  or  more  classical  and  mathematical  schools,  admirably 
conducted  and  liberally  supported.  The  teachers  of  these 
schools  w^ere  usually  graduates  of  the  Universit}'.  A  num- 
ber of  such  schools  were  erected  through  the  county  of 
Albemarle,  until  it  far  exceeded  any  other  county  in  the 
State  in  its  literary  advantages. 

The  impression  made  by  the  life  of  Dr.  AYhite  on  the 
town  of  Charlottesville  and  county  of  Albemarle,  and  the 
secret  of  his  great  usefulness  there,  are  well  stated  in  the 
following  pubUcation,  copied  from  a  newspaper  which  was 
ow^ned  and  managed  by  one  who  belonged  to  the  Methodist 
Church.  It  must  inspire  the  breast  of  the  reader  with  a 
noble  impulse,  to  read  such  words  of  commendation  from  an 
impartial  writer : 


Extract  from  the  "  Virginia.  Advocate."  125 

"Rev.  W.  S.  White. 
"It  is  with  sincere  regret  we  learn  that  this  gentleman,  so 
long  the  i:)astor  of  the  Presbyterian  church  in  this  place,  hag 
accepted  a  call  from  the  church  in  Lexington,  and  will  leave 
us  in  a  few  weeks  for  his  new  home.  We  think  we  express 
a  sentiment  which  is  common,  not  only  to  this  immediate 
community,  but  to  the  entire  county,  when  we  say  that  in 
parting  with  Mr.  White,  we  are  losing  one  of  the  most 
efficient  friends  and  supporters  of  every  good  loorh,  whose 
influence  it  has  been  the  privilege  of  our  county  to  enjoy. 
Of  his  zeal  and  fidelity  as  a  Christian  minister  and  j)astor, 
it  is  not  for  us  to  sj)eak.  These  are  attested  by  the  growth, 
and  the  peace  and  harmony  of  the  church  here,  dui-ing  his 
twelve  years'  connection  with  it ;  and  by  the  sorrow  of  its 
members  in  view  of  his  removal  from  among  them — a  sorrow 
(we  think  we  may  in  truth  say)  which  is  shared  by  every 
friend  of  religion  among  us,  who  has  a  heart  to  api^reciate 
the  principles  of  tolerance  and  universal  benevolence,  which 
have  ever  characterized  the  course  of  Mr.  White,  devoted, 
as  he  doubtless  is,  to  the  pecuhar  tenets  of  his  own  denomi- 
nation. But  in  other  spheres  his  usefulness  has  been  exem- 
plified in  a  degree  which  has  won  for  him  the  love,  and 
entitle  him  to  the  gratitude  of  our  entire  county.  Alwaj^s 
among  the  first  and  foremost  in  every  benevolent  enterprise, 
his  labors  have  been  as  untiring  as  they  have  been  eminently 
judicious  and  free  from  the  slightest  taint  of  that  fanati- 
cism which  so  frequently  mars  the  efforts  even  of  the  well- 
meaning  and  sincere.  But  it  is  as  Principal  of  the  Female 
Academy,  which  he  founded,  and  has  raised  to  an  eminence 
of  usefulness  unsui'passed  by  that  of  any  similar  institution, 
that  the  public,  we  believe,  have  been  most  indebted  to  Mr. 
White.  With  a  heart  full  of  affection  for  youth,  and  sensi- 
tively alive  to  the  importance  of  their  proper  mental  and 
moral  cultui-e,  as  connected  with  their  own  happiness  and 


126  Extract  from  the  "Virginia  Advocate." 

tlie  well-being  of  society,  he  lias  given  himself  to  the  work 
of  education  with  a  zeal  and  self-denial  which  nothing  short 
of  Christian  benevolence  could  have  sustained,  and  with  a 
measure  of  success  which  could  only  have  been  secured  by 
qualifications  of  the  highest  order.  Nor  has  the  influence 
of  Mr.  AVhite  in  the  cause  of  education  been  confined  to  the 
institution  over  which  he  has  presided.  All  who,  like  our- 
selves, regard  the  University  of  Virginia  as  an  honor  and  a 
blessing  to  our  State  and  comitry  will  admit,  we  presume, 
that  he  is  a  public  benefactor,  who  has  contributed  to  make 
known  the  truth  touching  the  character  of  that  institution. 
Few  men,  in  our  opinion,  have  done  more  to  accomplish 
this  than  Mr.  White.  Ha\dng,  from  his  long  residence  in 
the  immediate  neighborhood,  and  his  connection  with  the 
institution  for  two  years,  as  its  chaplain,  enjoyed  the  best 
opportunity  of  forming  a  correct  judgment  of  its  men  and 
measures,  his  candid  and  discriminating  mind  could  not  fail 
to  be  favorably  impressed;  and  hence,  for  years  past,  he 
has  availed  himself  of  every  proper  occasion  for  bearing  his 
earnest  testimony  in  behalf  of  the  University,  as  in  every 
way  worthy  of  the  confidence  of  those  who  desire  that  the 
2)romotion  of  solid  learning,  and  the  cultivation  of  sound 
principles  of  virtue  and  religion,  untrammelled  by  secta- 
rianism, should  go  hand  in  hand.  We  think  it  may  be 
asserted  without  danger  of  doing  injustice  to  any,  that  in 
years  gone  by,  the  Presbyterians,  as  a  denomination,  were, 
of  all  others,  most  x)rejudiced  against  the  University.  But 
it  is  certainly  true  that  these  prejudices  have  long  since 
yielded  to  the  light  of  truth;  and  we  speak  what  we  know, 
when  we  say  that  among  no  class  of  men  has  the  institution 
at  this  time  more  ardent  friends  and  admirers  than  are  to 
be  foimd  in  the  ranks  of  this  same  denomination  in  Virginia. 
Nor  do  we  hesitate  to  award  to  Mr.  White  a  large  share  of 
the  credit  due  to  this  remarkable  change. 


Extract  from  the  "Virginia  Advocate."  127 

*'But  we  have  written  much  more  than  we  intended. 
"Whilst  we  regret  to  lose  Mr.  White  from  Albemarle,  we 
rejoice  that  it  is  only  to  a  sister  and  neighboring  county 
that  his  labors  and  his  influence  are  to  be  transferred.  We 
congratulate  those  who  are  to  constitute  his  new  charge 
upon  their  good  fortune  in  secimng  the  services  of  so  good 
and  so  useful  a  man;  and  we  heartily  wish  him  and  them 
uninterrupted  peace,  prosperity,  and  happiness." 


CHAPTEK    X. 

1848-1861. 

Accepts  a  Call  to  Lexington,  Ya.  — ' '  The  Skinner  Wae.  " — Dk.  Skin- 
ner Suspended  from  the  Ministry  by  the  Presbytery. — Eestored 
BY  THE  General  Assembly.  — The  Pastoral  Kelation  :  His  State 
of  Mind  in  Dissolving  and  in  Forming  It.  — The  Lexington  Con- 
gregation. — Major  (afterwards  the  Benowned  General)  T.  J. 
Jackson. — John  B.  Lyle. — Anecdote  about  Him, — Method  op 
Collections  for  the  Church  — Anecdote  about  General  T.  J. 
Jackson.  — A  Model  Deacon. 

"  We  shall  never  learn  to  feel  and  respect  our  real  calling  and  destiny  unlesa  we 
have  taught  ourselves  to  consider  everything  as  moonshine  compared  ivith  the  edu- 
cation of  the  heart." — Sir  Walter  Scott. 

"  TN  the  summer  of  1848  my  social  and  professional  life  was 
-L  comfortable ;  my  school  and  church  together  afforded  me 
a  Tery  ample  support.  I  had  purchased,  enlarged  and  paid 
for  a  comfortable  house  and  lot.  My  wife  had  beautified 
these  premises  wdth  a  rich  variety  of  shrubbery.  My  school 
and  congregation  were  full,  and  encouraging  additions  from 
time  to  time  were  made  to  the  church ;  my  friends  kind,  in- 
dulgent and  generous;  my  children  were  progressing  well 
with  their  studies.  The  two  eldest  sons  were  doing  w^ell  at 
the  University.  Our  two  daughters  were  in  my  academy, 
and  the  two  younger  sons  in  a  good  preparatory  school. 
The  only  other  child,  just  three  years  old,  made  it  the  sole 
business  of  his  life  to  seek  his  own  and  our  amusement.  I 
had  abundant  cause  for  contentment  and  gratitude.  True, 
my  labors  were  still  heavy ;  my  health  feeble.  The  doctors 
still  gave  it  as  their  opinion  that  I  could  not  endure  much 
longer  the  strain  imposed  by  both  preaching  and  teaching. 

128 


Call  to  Lexington  129 

Still  I  got  tliroiigli  the  labors  with  a  good  degree  of  comfort. 
God  had  graciously  giveu  me  a  "u-onderfnlly  recuperative 
constitution.  The  rest  of  the  vacation  and  a  short  excur- 
sion through  the  mountains  generally  reinstated  me.  I  had 
no  desire  to  change  either  my  home  or  employment.  I  had 
gone  to  that  place  in  1836,  when  I  was  just  thirty-six  years 
years  of  age.  I  had  passed  the  period  of  early  3'outh,  when 
friendships  are  readily  formed,  and  as  readily  broken.  I 
had  not  reached  that  period  of  induration  when  new  ac- 
quaintances are  made  with  reluctance  and  friendships  formed 
with  difficulty.  The  state  of  the  congregation,  the  diversity 
of  my  em23loyments,  an  luiusual  succession  of  startling  afflic- 
tions, more  or  less  like  those  which  b:;fell  the  Davis  and  Gil- 
mer families,  with  which  I  was  brought  in  close  professional 
contact ;  these  things  all  conspired  to  connect  me  with  the 
community,  and  to  awaken  mutual  confidence  and  love  to  no 
ordinary  degree. 

"One  hundred  and  forty  had  been  added  to  the  little 
church  during  my  pastorate,  and  only  ten  remained  who 
were  members  when  I  went  there.  Many  seemed  to  me  as 
my  own  children,  and  I  found  much  comfort  in  their  love. 

"Such  was  the  state  of  things  when  a  call  from  the  church 
in  Lexington,  Va.,  w^as  unanimously  made  for  my  pastoral 
services.  This  W'as  unexpected,  surprising  and  painful. 
Tlie  decision  instantly  reached  in  my  own  mind  was  that  I 
did  not  desire  to  go ;  nay,  I  was  strongly  averse  to  going ; 
it  seemed  to  me  that  I  could  not  go. 

"  They  promised  me  a  salary  on  which  I  might  hope  to  live 
without  teaching,  and  this  would  be  favorable  to  my  health. 
But  then  I  not  only  loved  my  church,  but  I  loved  my  school. 
Lideed,  it  was  a  very  important  part  of  my  church.  I  was 
truly  fond  of  teaching,  and  I  had  good  reason  to  think  my 
pupils  loved  to  be  taught  by  me.  So  soon  as  it  was  known 
that  I  had  received  this  call,  the  members  of  the  church  and 
other  friends  expressed  their  sorrow,  and  avowed  their  pur- 
9 


130  Dr.  Skinner  Deposed  by  Presbytery. 

pose  to  opj^ose  my  leaving  by  every  justifiable  means. 
Brethren  in  the  ministry  of  my  oaati  Presbytery  came  to 
see  me,  or  else  -^Tote,  dissuading  me  from  accepting  the 
call.  It  was  easy  for  me  to  say  in  all  sincerity,  I  have  not 
only  no  desire  to  go,  but  personally  am  resolved  not  to  go. 

"But  I  had  not  sought  this  call,  either  dii'ectly  or  indi- 
rectly. Statements  made  to  me  by  members  of  the  Lexing- 
ton Church  and  of  Lexington  Presbyteiy  gave  to  the  whole 
matter  the  appearance  of  a  special  providence.  I  did  fear 
lest  hapl}'  I  might  fight  against  God.  I  knew  that  it  would 
have  been  just  as  sinful  for  Jonah  to  remain  where  he  was 
when  ordered  to  go  to  Nineveh  as  to  go  to  Tarshish.  My 
income  was  so  ample  and  my  condition  so  comfortable  that 
I  feared  my  desire  and  purpose  to  remain  might  be  the  re- 
sult of  a  self-indulgent  or  avaricious  spirit.  Neither  my 
wife  nor  children  ever  interfered  in  such  questions.  Even 
when  called,  as  I  was,  to  succeed  Rev.  Dr.  Wilson  in  Fred- 
ericksburg, with  the  promise  of  an  ample  salary,  they  said 
nothing,  and  I  found  it  easy  to  decline.  But  now  the  diffi- 
culty grew  until  I  resolved  to  submit  the  question  to  my  Pres- 
bytery. 

"The  Lexington  Church  had  for  seven  years  been  under 
the  ministr}'  of  the  Bev.  John  Skinner,  D.  D.,  a  Scotchman. 
The  church  was  not  unanimous  in  calling  him,  and  instead 
of  lessening,  his  course  increased  the  minority  against  him. 
Por  five  or  six  years  no  direct  effort  was  made  for  his  re- 
moval. But,  in  the  summer  of  1847,  the  attempt  was  made, 
and  an  excited  controversy  arose.  The  church  was  agitated 
to  its  deepest  foundations.  The  struggle  lasted  fv)r  twelve 
months,  and  resulted  in  the  dissolution  of  the  pastoral  re- 
lation, and  his  dejoosition  from  the  ministry. 

"A  pretty  strong  minority  adhered  to  him  in  the  church, 
and  so  embittered  had  the  two  parties  become  against  each 
other  that  it  was  supposed  they  could  never  unite  in  calling 
another  pastor.     Indeed,  to  us  who  were  at  a  distance,  the 


His  Eestoeation  to  the  Ministry.  131 

church  seemed  hopelessly  divided,  if  not  incurably  ruined. 
Every  member  of  Lexington  Presbytery  had  taken  an  active 
part  for  or  against  Dr.  Skinner,  and  hence,  however  anxious 
either  party  might  be  to  call  its  favorite  of  the  Presbytery, 
this  was  impossible.  Neither  would  vote  for  the  favorite  of 
the  other.  They  were  forced  to  look  bej'ond  their  bounds 
for  a  minister." 

Being  anxious  to  understand  why  the  rancor  in  the  church 
should  be  so  strong  as  Dr.  "White  descnbes  it,  and  not  hav- 
ing access  to  the  Minutes  of  the  General  Assembly  that  tried 
this  case  on  appeal,  we  wrote  to  Dr.  Samuel  J.  Baird,  author 
of  the  JDlffest  of  the  General  Assembly,  for  reliable  infor- 
mation.    From  him  we  received  the  following  reply : 

"EoNCEVEETE,  AT.  Ya.,  JSTov.  15,  1887. 

''  Dear  Brother  :  .  .  .  Dr.  Skinner  was  tried  by  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Lexington  upon  charges  made  by  certain  parties, 
under  the  name  of  common  fame  of  having  slandered  them 
and  others.  The  testimony,  taken  by  a  commission,  is  all 
before  me,  together  with  the  whole  proceedings.  The  trial 
commenced  on  March  22,  1848,  and  was  closed  on  the  3rd 
of  April,  when  the  charges  were  sustained  b}^  a  majority  of 
the  Presbj'tery,  and  it  was  ^Resolved,  that  the  said  Rev. 
John  Skinner,  D.  D.,  be,  and  he  hereby  is,  suspended  from 
all  the  functions  of  the  ministry  of  the  gospel,  vuitil  he  make 
suitable  confession  of  his  sins,  and  give  satisfactoiy  evidence 
of  repentance.' 

"Against  this  decision  Dr.  Skinner  gave  notice  of  appeal 
to  the  Assembly,  and  the  Rev.  AVm.  Calhoun,  for  himself 
and  others,  gave  notice  of  complaint. 

"In  the  Assembly,  the  same  year,  the  appeal  was  'sus- 
tained pro  forma'  and  the  complaint  dismissed.  Dr.  Skin- 
ner was  *  restored  to  all  the  functions  of  the  ministry  of  the 
gospel,'  and  all  parties  solemnly  admonir.Iied. 

"  He  w^as  suspended  by  the  Presbytery  in  April,  and  re- 


132  The  Turmoil  in  the  Church. 

stored  by  the  Assembly  in  May  of  the  same  year.     Of  course, 
therefore,  it  did  not  come  before  the  Synod. 

"Truly  yours,  Samuel  J.  Baied." 

From  this  statement  of  the  case  it  is  easy  to  see  how  the 
passions  of  the  people  of  Lexington  would  be  roused  to  such 
an  extent  as  to  render  it  doubtful  whether  they  could  ever 
"unite  in  calling  another  pastor."  Their  pastor  had  been 
tried  by  his  Presbytery  for  slander,  and  the  highest  sentence 
of  ecclesiastical  law  had  been  pronounced  upon  him — "  sus- 
jDension  from  all  the  functions  of  the  ministry  of  the  gospel," 
until  he  repent  and  confess  his  sins.  The  General  Assem- 
bly had  reversed  the  sentence  of  the  Presbytery,  and  re- 
stored their  pastor  to  his  office.  As  we  learn  from  other 
sources,  the  trial  before  the  Presbytery  had  been  conducted 
in  the  Lexington  Church,  in  the  very  midst  of  the  congre- 
gation ;  and  officers  and  members  of  the  church  had  been 
parties  to  the  case  in  one  way  and  another — nay,  the  com- 
munity at  large  had  been  drawn  into  it  by  family  ties  and 
local  jealousies,  until  those  in  and  those  out  of  the  church 
felt  themselves  thoroughly  identified  either  with  the  pastor 
or  with  his  accusers ;  added  to  all  these  facts  was  the  volun- 
tary resignation  of  the  pastor,  after  his  restoration  by  the 
supreme  court,  and  removal  of  his  family,  not  only  out  of 
the  State,  but  out  of  the  United  States,  and  his  settlement 
for  life  a  voluntary  exile  in  Canada.  It  was,  therefore,  not 
without  reason  that  Dr.  "White,  and  others  at  a  distance, 
thought  the  church  "hopelessly  divided,  if  not  incurably 
ruined."  Such  a  case  as  that  could  not  fail  to  leave  a  burn- 
ing in  the  heart  of  the  church  that  nothing  but  length  of 
time  and  the  almighty  Spirit  of  God  could  extinguish. 

"In  July,  1818,  two  months  after  the  final  decision  of  Dr. 
Skinner's  case,  a  proposition  was  made  to  call  a  meeting  for 
the  purpose  of  electing  a  pastor.  The  meeting  was  accord- 
ingly called,  but  scarcely  any  one  supposed  that  any  effective 


AcoEPTS  THE  Call  to  Lexington.  133 

effort  would  be  inadc  to  choose  one.  The  meeting  Avas  fidl. 
Kev.  "\V.  W.  Trimble  had  been  duly  invited  to  preside. 
Great  hesitancy  aj^pearc  d  on  the  i:»art  of  all.  Each  party 
T\as  reluctant  to  nominate  one  of  its  own  friends,  feeling 
sure  of  the  opposition  of  the  other.  At  last  some  one  pro- 
posed that  they  should  unite  in  special  prayer  for  the  bless- 
ing and  guidance  of  God.  J'liis  was  unanimously  agreed 
to.  It  was  then  proposed  that  each  person  entitled  to  vote 
should  at  once  proceed  to  prepare  a  ballot  for  the  man  of  his 
choice,  without  any  nomination.  This  was  carried.  The 
ballots  were  prepr.red,  collected  and  counted,  when  it  was 
discovered  that  every  vote  except  three  or  four  had  been 
cast  for  myself.  The  minority  readily  avowed  their  wilUng- 
ness  to  acquiesce  with  the  majority,  and  thus  the  vote  was 
made  unanimous.  The  call  was  sent  to  West  Hanover  Pres- 
bytery, which  met  in  August,  at  Kough  Creek  Church,  iu 
Charlotte  county,  by  the  hands  of  Dr.  Alfred  Leyburn  and 
Mr.  "Wm.  G.  "White,  commissioners  from  the  church.  The 
Charlottesville  Church  deputed  E.  P.,  "Watson  and  L.  R. 
Eailey,  Esqrs.,  commissioners  on  their  part  to  resist  the  call. 
"Previous  to  the  meeting  of  the  Presbytery  I  had  ascer- 
tained that  a  large  majority  intended  to  vote  against  placing 
it  in  my  hands,  as  they  honestly  thought  I  ought  not  to  go. 
But  hearing  a  brief  speech  from  Dr.  Leyburn,  stating  some 
of  the  foregoing  facts  relative  to  the  manner  in  which  the 
call  had  been  made,  and  others  not  now  remembered,  they 
voted  almost  unanimously  to  place  the  call  in  my  hands,  and 
advised  me  to  accept  it.  Notwithstanding  a  long  and  im- 
passioned speech  in  opposition  by  my  excellent  friend  and 
brother,  Capt.  L.  P.  Railey,  one  of  the  commissioners  from 
Charlottesville,  I  accepted  the  call,  and,  with  great  sorrow 
of  heart,  asked  a  dismission  from  the  Presb}'tery  a\  hich  had 
licensed  and  ordained  me,  and  to  which  I  had  belonged  for 
twenty  years.  Tliis  was  surely  one  of  the  saddest  events  of 
my  life.     I  returned  home  with  a  heavy  heart. 


134  Parting  ^vith  the  Charlottesville  Church. 

"It  is  needless  to  consume  time  in  detailing  the  circum- 
stances under  which  I  tore  myself  away  from  a  i^eople 
among  whom  I  had  lived  and  labored  so  pleasantly  for 
twelve  years  and  four  months.  It  may  be  enough  to  say 
that,  in  bidding  them  farewell,  as  one  by  one  I  shook  their 
hands,  I  was  in  no  instance  able  to  utter  a  word.  The  heart 
was  too  full  and  too  heavy  for  sx^eech.  Tearfully  and  silently 
I  grasped  the  hand  and  turned  away.  To  my  latest  breath 
the  best  of  my  p  )or  prayers  shall  ascend  for  such  of  them 
and  their  children  as  still  survive.  Many,  very  many,  of  the 
best  of  them  have  already  gone  to  the  '  rest  that  remaineth 
for  the  people  of  God.'  And  among  the  brightest  visions 
of  that  *  happy  land'  which  cheer  my  weary  spirit,  now  that 
I  am  apiDroaching  my  three-score  years  and  ton,  is  the  pros- 
pect of  meeting  them  there. 

"Next  to  the  relation  of  husband  and  wife,  parent  and 
child,  there  is  none  on  earth  so  tender  and  so  sacred  as  that 
of  pastor  and  people.  Four  times  I  have  enjoyed  the  institu- 
tion of  this  relation,  and  three  times  have  I  wept,  literally 
wej)t,  over  its  dissolution.  I  have  to  weep  once  more  from 
the  same  cause,  and  tlien  sorrow  and  sighing  will  flee  away 
for  ever.     *  There's  no  weeping  there.' 

'  '  0  glorious  hour,  O  blest  abode, 
I  shall  be  near  and  like  my  God, 
And  flesh  and  sin  no  more  control 
The  sacred  pleasures  of  the  soul. ' 

"  Not  having  heard  the  testimony  taken  by  the  General  As- 
sembly' in  the  case  of  Dr.  Skinner,  and  not  having  read  the 
published  proceedings  of  Lexington  Presbytery,  I  knew  no- 
thing but  what  reached  me  at  Charlottesville  by  rumor,  and 
also  what  I  had  read  in  a  pamphlet  he  had  published  in  his 
own  defence.  I  had  learned  enough  to  fill  my  mind  with 
gloomy  apprehensions  of  trouble  in  my  new  charge. 

"Before  going  to  Lexington  I  attended  a  meeting  of  Lex- 
ington Presbytery,  at  Hebron  Church,  in  Augusta  county. 


Reaches  Lexington.  135 

to  connect  myself  with  that  body,  and  t.)  have  arrangements 
made  for  my  installation.  There  I  met  Mr.  Wm.  G.  White, 
a  ruling  elde^r  and  one  of  the  commissioners  who  had  recently 
met  me  at  Rough  Creek,  and  such  was  the  state  of  my  mind 
that,  when  he  asked  me,  '  When  are  you  coming  to  take 
charge  of  us  ? "  my  heart  sank  like  lead  in  the  waters.  '  To 
take  charge  of  us ! '  A  fearful  undertaking  for  such  an  one 
as  I.  How  shall  I  ever  succeed  in  healing  wounds  so  deep  ? 
— in  harmonizing  elements  so  discordant  ?  But,  then,  they 
had  harmonized  in  calling  a  pastor,  and  this  may  bo  i^er- 
manent.  Hope  revived,  and  I  '  ^.Iked  cheerfully  with  Mr. 
White. 

"The  manse  at  Lexington  was  not  completed,  nor  could  I 
complete  ray  arrangements  for  removing  my  family  at  once. 
But  my  work  at  Charlottesville  was  over,  and  they  greatly 
needed  a  pastor  at  Lexington.  jJ.ijor  (now  Col.)  Preston 
had  kindly  sent  by  jlr.  White  an  invitation  to  make  my 
home  at  his  house  until  my  family  could  join  me.  I  ac- 
cepted this  invitation,  and  about  the  middle  of  September, 
1848,  reached  Lexington,  entered  on  my  work,  and  found  a 
comfortable  home  for  several  weeks  with  my  good  friends 
the  Prestons. 

"There  are  some  subjects  about  which  ignorance  is  bliss, 
and  abjut  which  it  is  folly  to  be  wise.  This  was  true,  when 
I  came  tj  Lexington,  of  my  predecessor  and  his  fierce  and 
protracted  conliict  with  the  church.  Some  of  the  better  in- 
formed people  of  the  church  had  taken  this  view  of  the  sub- 
ject before  I  arrived,  and  had  agreed  among  themselves, 
and  enjoined  upon  their  children,  that  these  were  to  be  ig- 
nored as  subjects  of  conversation.  When  persons  of  less 
intelligence  and  discretion  brought  it  up,  I  declined  to  talk, 
because  of  my  ignorance,  and  declined  to  listen,  because  of 
all  such  matters  I  preferred  to  remain  in  ign<jrance. 

"But  the  truth  is,  the  church  had  become,  to  a  great  ex- 
tent, harmonious  before  I  arrived.     I  account  for  this  in  the 


136  The  Church  Harmonious. 

following  way:  the  great  body  of  the  church,  including  those 
who  were  leaders  on  each  side,  were  truly  pious,  and  loved 
their  church  better  than  they  loved  any  man  or  any  pastor. 
God  had  signally  blessed  this  church  from  the  beginning 
with  seasons  of  revival.  Indeed,  it  had  its  birth  in  a  revival. 
The  leaders  in  both  parties  had  pissed  happily  together 
through  more  than  one  general  revival.  Hence,  when  Dr. 
Skinner  pushed  matters  to  such  extravagant  lengths,  with 
so  violent  a  spirit  as  to  awaken  in  many  minds  the  fear  that 
the  permanent  division  and  probable  ruin  of  the  church 
would  be  the  result,  althouqfh  his  friends  adhered  tenaciously 
to  him  until  the  General  Assembly  of  May,  1848,  gave  the 
final  decision  in  the  case,  yet  the  moment  that  was  done 
they  dropped  him  and  his  cause  at  once,  and  never,  I  pre- 
sume, in  the  history  of  the  church  was  so  deep  a  wound  so 
thoroughly  healed  in  so  short  a  time.  Here  and  there  a  case 
of  personal  alienation  existed  for  a  few  months,  but  a  few 
words  kindly  and  prayerfully  spoken  to  each  of  the  individ- 
uals readily  produced  thorough  reconciliation.  AVith  those 
alienations  I  really  had  no  trouble  whatever. 

"The  church  and  congregation  gave  me  a  very  cordial  re- 
ception. The  church,  in  the  double  sense  of  house  of  wor- 
ship and  membership,  was  much  larger  than  either  of  those 
to  which  I  had  been  used.  The  manse,  just  completed  and 
never  before  occupied,  was  beautiful  for  situation,  spacious 
and  convenient.  Leaving  our  two  eldest  at  the  University 
of  Virginia,  the  five  younger  children,  with  their  mother,  now 
joined  me  here,  and  nothiilg  that  any  people  could  supply 
seemed  wanting  for  our  happiness.  Still,  for  several  months 
both  my  wife  and  myself  spent  many  anxious  and  unhappy 
hours.  Old  trees  do  not  bear  transplanting  as  do  saplings. 
AVe  had  almost  reached  that  period  of  life  when  persons  of 
ver}^  strong  local  attachments,  fond  of  home  and  neighbors, 
find  it  extremely  painful  to  move.  And  there  was  to  be  a 
great  change  in  my  manner  of  life.     A  comparatively  small 


Settling  Down  to  Work.  137 

church,  composed  ahnost  exckisively,  when  I  left  them,  of 
persons  I  had  received  into  the  church,  the  large  majority 
of  T\hom  were  young,  ardent  and  confiding;  a  school  of 
about  one  hundred  girls,  with  five  assistant  teachers,  all  af- 
fectionate and  trustworthy — this  v/as  the  charge  I  had  left 
for  a  large,  intelligent  church,  embracing  some  of  the  most 
venerable  and  well-informed  ruling  elders  and  members  in 
our  whole  church.  Here,  too,  I  found  two  doctors  of  divinity 
and  five  other  resident  Presbyterian  ministers  of  the  gospel, 
only  two  of  whom  had  any  stated  professional  engagement, 
and  all  of  whom  were  among  my  stated  hearers.  Unused 
as  I  had  been  to  i^reach  in  my  own  pulpit  with  a  brother 
minister  in  the  congregation,  this  was  a  very  severe  ordeal 
for  what  modesty  I  possessed. 

"But  these  brethren  were  all  indulgent,  forbearing  and  af- 
fectionate in  a  remarkable  degree.  They  were  the  Rev. 
Henry  Ruffner,  D.  D.,  who  had  resigned  the  presidency  of 
AVashington  College,  but  was  kept  here  for  many  months 
by  the  protracted  illness  of  Mrs.  Ruffner;  Mr.  William  H. 
Ruffner,  son  of  the  Doctor,  recently  licensed,  but  kept  by 
the  afiiiction  which  kept  his  father;  Rev.  Geo.  Junkin,  D.  D., 
just  arrived  as  successor  to  Dr.  Ruffner  in  the  presidency  of 
the  College,  and  who  for  some  months  could  not  find  em- 
ployment in  the  country  as  a  preacher ;  Rev.  Messrs.  Cal- 
hoim  and  Ai'mstrong,  professors  in  the  College ;  Rev.  Mr. 
Tui'ner,  son-in-law  and  assistant  of  Mrs.  Nottingham,  the 
principal  of  Ann  Smith  Academy;  and  Rev.  James  Kerr, 
whose  failing  health  incapacitated  him  for  preaching,  and 
had  come  with  his  family  to  spend  the  winter  here. 

"It  was  very  pleasant  to  have  these  brethren  preach  for 
me,  as  they  occasionally  did,  and  to  enjoy  their  society  at  my 
house  or  at  theirs,  but  it  was  a  sore  trial  to  have  them  sit- 
ting ostensibly  as  learners  at  my  feet.  But  surely  preach- 
ers are,  or  ought  to  be,  the  most  indulgent  hearers. 

"My  labors  were  soon  distributed  as  follows:  I  preached 


138  General  T.  J.  Jackson. 

twice  on  the  Sabbath,  attended  one  congregational  prayer- 
meeting  and  a  voung  men's  prayer-meeting  during  the 
week,  attended  a  Bible-class  in  the  lecture-room  and  one  at 
the  Academy  during  the  week.  Li  addition  to  my  two 
stated  sermons  on  the  Sabbath,  morning  and  evening,  I 
frequently  j^i'eached  in  the  afternoon  to  the  colored  people. 
For  the  congregational  Bible-class  I  subsequently  substituted 
a  class  for  the  study  of  Dr.  Green's  Lectures  on  the  Shorter 
Catechism. 

"The  congregation  was  much  larger  than  I  had  been  ac- 
customed to  and  far  less  homogeneous.  To  a  body  of  com- 
municants numbering  over  two  hundred  and  fifty  there  was 
a  mixed  assembly  composed  of  people  of  the  town  and  vicin- 
age, members  of  the  academy  for  young  ladies,  students  of 
"Washington  College,  cadets  of  the  Virginia  Military  Insti- 
tute, and  a  few  colored  people.  On  abandoning  the  old  and 
erecting  a  tasteful  and  commodious  house  of  worship,  which 
was  done  a  year  or  two  before  I  became  their  pastor,  the 
pews  below  were  so  engrossed  by  the  white  congregation,  and 
the  galleries  so  divided  between  the  College  students  and 
cadets,  that  little  room  was  left  for  the  servants.  This  was 
soon  found  to  be  an  evil,  and  some  addition  was  made  to  the 
accommodations  for  worshippers  by  erecting  a  few  pews  in  the 
open  space  around  the  pulpit.  But  this  was  very  inadequate. 
In  a  few  years  a  large  addition  w^as  made  to  the  building,  a 
full  portion  of  which  was  allotted  to  the  servants.  This  ad- 
ditional room  was  soon  filled,  every  new  pew  was  taken,  and 
the  size  of  the  congregation  greatly  increased. 

"There  were  five  trustees,  twelve  ruling  elders,  but  no 
deacons.  The  duties  of  deacons  were  performed  by  the 
ruhng  elders  and  trustees  jointly.  This  defect,  however, 
was  soon  remedied  by  the  election  of  a  board  of  five  deacons^ 
of  whom  General  Thomas  J.  Jackson  was  one. 

'It  is  due  to  the  memory  of  this  great  and  good  man  to 
say  that  he  was  the  animating  and  guiding  spirit  of  that 


Congregation  Districted.  139 

body.  Mainly  through  his  influence  its  meetings  were  held 
with  a  regularity,  and  its  duties  performed  with  a  fidelity, 
that  made  it  not  only  a  blessing  to  our  church  and  congre- 
gation, but  to  the  whole  community.  Indeed,  it  was  a 
source  of  encouragement  and  comfort  to  his  pastor  to  have 
the  co-operation  of  a  man  who  prayed  and  labored  as  he 
did  not  to  be  expressed  in  words.  Regarding  that  pastor, 
officially,  as  his  superior  officer,  he  reported  to  him  and  ap- 
plied for  orders  with  that  soldierly  fideht}'  which  distin- 
guished him  subsequently  as  the  greatest  general  of  his 
time. 

"The  attempt  was  made  to  call  the  ruling  elders  into  more 
active  service.  A  stated  meeting  for  official  business  was 
appointed  to  be  held  once  a  month.  This  has  been  kept  up 
to  the  present  day.  The  congregation  was  divided  into  six 
districts ;  two  of  the  twelve  elders  were  assigned  to  each 
district,  to  be  the  '  helps '  of  the  minister  in  shepherding 
the  flock,  and  another  monthly  meeting  appointed,  at  which 
these  elders  were  to  report  what  they  had  dme  during  the 
month,  and  what  they  thought  should  be  done  by  the  pastor. 
These  reports  were  not  to  bo  confined  to  the  stated  meeting, 
but,  as  necessity  arose  and  the  opportunity  occurred,  they 
were  to  communicate  with  the  pastor,  that  he  might  know 
where  and  for  what  purpose  his  presence  was  needed. 

"  For  a  time  this  scheme  worked  admirably  well.  How 
could  one  so  accordant  with  our  system  of  church  government 
and  polity  and  characterized  by  so  much  wisdom  fail  thus 
to  work?  Eut  it  was  new,  and  many  of  the  session  were 
now  getting  old.  Thsir  habits  had  been  formed  under  the 
ministry  of  those  men  of  blessed  memory,  George  A.  Bax- 
ter, D.  T> ,  and  the  Rev.  James  AV.  Douglass.  They  had  not 
pressed  such  service  on  them,  and  T)y  degrees  the  whole 
scheme  fell  into  utter  disuse  This  sad  result  may  have 
been  due  in  part  to  the  fact  that  there  was  one  member  of 
the  session  who  was  himself  a  host.     This  was  Mr.  John  B. 


140  A  Model  Eldek. 

Lyle,  then  one  of  the  younger  members  of  the  session,  re- 
cently elected  and  ordained  to  his  ofiice,  a  man  who,  like 
Jackson,  prayed  and  labored — laboring  as  he  prayed  and 
praying  as  he  labored.  In  season  and  out  of  season,  through 
evil  report  and  good  report,  he  gave  a  full  portion  of  every 
da}^  to  the  service  of  that  church  whose  purity,  peace  and 
prosperity  he  had  vowed  to  seek,  both  when  he  was  received 
into  its  communion  and  when  he  was  ordained  to  his  office. 
These  vows  he  faithfully  performed,  not  confining  himself 
to  any  one  district.  He  was  always  posted  as  to  the  state 
of  the  congregation.  He  was  especially  faithful  and  success- 
ful in  finding  cases  of  religious  concern.  No  man  was  freer 
from  'fashionable  religious  cant,'  or  possessed  less  aus- 
terity. He  could  speak  to  any  one  on  personal  religion  in  a 
way  so  affable  and  gentle  as  never  to  give  offence,  and  yet  so 
pointed  as  to  learn  just  what  he  wanted  to  know.  I  have 
reason  to  believe  that  he  conversed  and  prayed  with  more 
young  men  when  partially  or  deeply  awakened  than  any 
man  not  in  the  ministry  I  ever  knew,  and  with  far  more 
than  many  ministers  ever  did. 

"Such  cases  he  always  reported  to  me,  and  many  suc'h  he 
brought  to  my  study.  His  habit  was  simply  to  bring  them 
in  and  then  retire,  leaving  me  to  discover  their  state  of  mind 
as  best  I  could.  It  was  by  him  that  I  was  first  made  ac- 
quainted with  the  case  of  General  Jackson,  and  also  that  of 
two  of  my  own  sons.  I  have  reason  to  regard  him  as,  in  a 
great  degree,  the  spiritual  father  of  these  two  sons,  one  of 
whom  is  now  a  preacher  of  the  gospel  and  the  other  is  in 
heaven.  It  is  not  surprising  that  on  such  a  man  the  whole 
session  should  lean,  and  to  him  all  w^ould  look  to  an  unjusti- 
fiable extent.  It  was  natural,  if  not  wise,  to  say,  as  I  appre- 
hend was  often  said,  'Lyle  will  do  this,  and  Lyle  will  do 
that;  why  trouble  myself  about  it*?' 

"Mr.  Lyle's  pecuniary  means  were  very  hmited,  and  yet 
they  'abounded  to  the  riches  of  hberality.'     His  generous 


A  Model  Elder.  141 

spirit  diffused  itself  tlirougli  the  churcli  and  was  felt  even 
throughout  the  Presbyteiy.  In  the  course  of  a  few  years 
three  calls  were  made  on  the  Lexington  Church  to  complete 
the  endowment  of  Union  Theological  Seminary  in  Prince 
Edward  county.  When  the  third  application  came,  some 
complained  that  these  calls  were  too  frequent.  The  question 
was  asked  of  several  gentlemen,  'AVliat  do  joii  think  the 
church  will  give  now?'  One  said,  'I  am  willing  to  give 
what  I  gave  before.'  Another  said,  'I  cannot  give  any- 
thing, and  I  do  not  think  the  chui'ch  ought  to  give  anything.' 
Mr,  Lyle,  who  was  commonly  the  last  man  to  speak  on  such 
occasions,  answered,  'I  am  wilhng  to  double  my  last  sub- 
scription. I  think  the  chui'ch  ought  to  do  the  same,  and 
that  they  will  do  it.'  The  effect  of  this  answer  was  vis- 
ible in  every  face,  and  the  result  was  precisely  as  he  said — 
the  church  doubled  their  second  subscription, 

"Astonished  at  his  Kberality,  I  asked  him  the  question, 
'L^ie,  how  do  you  expect  to  pay  this  subscription f  He 
replied,  with  a  smile,  *By  making  and  selling  brushes  of 
peacock  feathers,  which  I  can  get  from  Timber  Eidge.  You 
know,  that  part  of  the  county  abounds  in  peacocks,  and  it 
will  do  me  real  good  to  make  their  tails  contribute  to  the 
education  of  young  men  for  the  ministiy.'  True  to  his 
word,  he  paid  his  subscription  in  that  way. 

"  He  not  only  had  an  ear  but  a  soul  for  music.  His  voice, 
both  for  compass  and  melody,  was  inferior  to  none  I  had 
ever  heard.  For  many  years  he  led  ibo  cliurch  choir.  He 
occupied  the  centre  seat  in  the  choir  gallery,  directly  in  fi'ont 
of  the  pulpit.  The  sound  of  his  far-reaching  yet  melodious 
voice,  and  the  sight  of  his  broad,  full  face,  radiant  with  de- 
vout emotion,  kindled  by  the  sacred  truth  embodied  in  the 
psalm  or  hymn,  often  led  me  to  think  that  his  singing  was. 
as  helpful  to  me  as  my  preaching  could  be  to  him.  His 
spirit  too  in  this  regard  was  diffused  through  the  congrega- 


1-42  A  Model  Elder. 

tiou,  so  that,  in  his  day,  the  singing-  of  God's  praise  was  a 
real  and  delightful  part  of  social  and  public  worship. 

"The  true  source  of  the  divine  life  this  good  man  led  was 
his  faith.  He  could  truthfully  and  habitually  say,  'I  be- 
lieved, and  therefore  have  I  sj)oken.'  His  acceptance  of 
every  jot  and  tittle  of  the  word  of  God,  his  reliance  upon 
the  scheme  of  salvation  revealed  in  the  gospel,  were  liter- 
ally unqualified  and  unwavering.  His  understanding  and 
his  will  bowed  to  the  authority,  and  his  desires  and  aifec- 
tions  found  their  highest  and  pui'est  gratification  in  the  les- 
sons of  inspiration.  Neither  the  speculations  of  the  fanciful 
nor  the  cavils  of  the  skeptic  weighed  a  feather  with  him. 
'Thus  saith  the  Lord'  was  the  end  of  all  controversy,  and 
'  Lord,  what  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do  ? '  resolved  every  ques- 
tion of  duty  with  him.  This  faith  gave  him  unwavering- 
confidence  in  prayer.  '  Ask,  and  ye  shall  receive ;  seek,  and 
ye  shall  find,'  was  accepted  and  quoted  by  him  in  its  most 
obvious  meaning,  and  pleaded  at  the  mercy-seat  in  the  confi- 
dent expectation  of  an  answer.  And  many,  very  many,  were 
the  direct  answers  granted  to  his  prayers.  He  habitually 
went  from  Ids  closet  to  the  prayer-meeting,  the  church,  and 
even  on  visits  to  ?ils  frieiids. 

"This  excellent  man  was  attacked  with  paralysis  dui'ing 
public  worshij),  and  was  borne  out  of  the  house  of  God  on 
the  arms  of  his  friends.  After  lingering  about  twelve 
months,  he  died  on  the  20th  of  July,  1858,  His  powers  of 
speech  were  spared  him  until  ver}^  near  his  end.  His  sick- 
room was  frequented  by  large  numbers  of  warmly  attached 
friends.  His  intercourse  with  such  was  cli;iractei'ized  by 
what  I  must  call  a  sanctified  cheerfulness  which  made  his 
room  like  the  vestibule  of  heaven.  Truly  it  was  good  to  be 
there.  His  sun  went  down  almost  at  noon,  brightening  to 
the  last.  He  was  a  great  reader  of  books  on  practical  di- 
vinity, and  especially  of  the  word  of  God.     His  knowledge 


Anecdote  of  General  T.  J.  Jackson  14R 

of  the  Scriptures  was  astonishing.  He  died  as  he  Uved,  the 
fearless,  faithful  servant  of  God. 

'•  The  methods  of  raising  funds  for  charitable  and  religious 
piu'poses  which  I  found  in  operation  when  I  came  to  Lex- 
ington was  as  follows:  There  were  six  objects  for  which 
contributions  were  sj'stematically  asked :  Foreign  and  Do- 
mestic Missions,  Education  for  the  Ministry,  the  Publication 
of  Eeligious  Tracts  and  Books,  the  Bible  Society,  and  Sab- 
bath-schools. No  collections  for  these  objects  were  ever 
taken  in  church.  In  place  of  this  the  congregation  was  di- 
vided into  six  districts,  and  a  collector  appointed  for  each 
district.  Then  the  clerk  of  session  was  required  to  furnish 
each  of  these  collectors  with  a  list  of  all  the  members  of  the 
church  residing  in  his  district.  "When  each  member  had 
been  seen  and  his  subscription  obtained,  the  lists  were  re- 
turned to  the  session  and  the  money  remitted.  This  plan 
had  been  found  to  work  in  tins  church  far  better  than  any 
other.  For  sixteen  years  the  average  contributions  had  ex- 
ceeded three  thousand  dollars  per  annum. 

"On  one  occasion  Gen.  Thomas  J.  Jackson  was  apj)ointed 
one  of  the  collectors  for  the  Bible  Society.  AVhen  he  re- 
turned his  list  it  was  discovered  that,  at  the  end,  copied  by 
the  clerk  of  session,  was  a  considerable  number  of  names 
written  in  pencil,  to  each  of  which  a  very  small  amount  was 
attached.  Moreover,  the  session,  recognizing  very  few  of 
the  names,  asked  who  these  were.  Jackson's  characteristic 
reply  was  'They  are  the  militia;  as  th3  Bible  Society  is  not 
a  Presbyterian  but  a  Christian  cause,  I  deemed  it  best  to  go 
beyond  the  limits  of  our  own  chm'ch.'  They  were  the  names 
chiefly  oifree  negrosJ" 


CHAPTER  XL 

1848-1861. 

Pentecostal  Seasons.  — Special  Prayer  for  the  Approaching  Meet- 
ing OF  Synod.— Its  Fervor  an  Indication  of  Approaching  Ke- 
vivAL,  which  Occurred  in  his  Absence.  — Effects  of  the  Bevival 
ON  THE  Church.  — Another  Eevival,  Extending  from  November, 
1853,  TO  February,  1854. — Full  Account  of  Another  in  1856. — 
Proposition  in  1857  to  Colonize. — The  Church  Building  En- 
larged.— Efforts  foe  the  Colored  People. — Sabbath- School 
Founded  by  Gen.  T.  J.  Jackson  foe  their  Benefit. — Work  in 
Behalf  op  Temperance.  —  Anecdote  about  his  Preaching 
against  a  Military  Ball. — Home  Missionary  "Work. — Stems  a 
Torrent  of  Indignant  Opposition  to  a  Public  Lecturer. — Kev. 
W.  J.  Baird,  D.  D.— His  Pulpit  Power. 

"  For,  when  the  power  of  imparting  joy- 
Is  equal  to  the  will,  the  human  soul 
Requires  no  other  heaven." 

THE  ministry  of  Dr.  "White  was  blessed  with  many  pente- 
costal  seasons  Wherever  he  hved  revival  after  revival  oc- 
curred, to  refresh  the  hearts  of  the  people  and  add  many  to 
their  numbers.  As  we  have  seen  in  Scottsville  and  Char- 
lottesville, so  it  was  in  Lexington  on  a  larger  scale.  W^ith  a 
wider  field,  a  richer  experience  of  personal  piety,  more  wis- 
dom in  winning  souls,  and  more  pulpit  power  acquired  by 
study  and  practice,  his  harvest  seasons  were  more  abundant 
in  the  last  nineteen  jears  of  his  ministerial  life  than  in  the 
first  nineteen. 

He  believed  in  revivals,  worked  and  prayed  for  tnem,  was 
not  satisfied  without  them.  The  Holy  Ghost  worked  in  him 
so  mightily  that  he  could  not  rest  when  his  church  was  ruot 
making  i^erceptible  progress,  bat  strove  night  and  daj''  for  a 
revival.    And  God  heard  him.    He  sowed  in  tears  and  reaped 

144 


His  First  Revr-al  in  Lexington.  145 

in  joy.  His  spirits  always  ran  low  when  the  soDgs  of  Zion 
mourned.  His  countenance,  usually  so  full  of  light  and 
strength,  was  an  infallible  index  to  his  heart.  While  not 
giving  way  to  gloominess  or  despondency,  it  was  easy  for 
those  who  knew  him  well  to  see  at  such  times  a  settled 
thoughtfuliiess  on  his  brow.  His  correspondence  with  his 
friends  always  brought  it  out.  Whatever  might  be  the  oc- 
casion of  his  writing,  at  the  conclusion  he  would  add  a  line 
about  his  dib=couragement  and  ask  an  interest  in  their  prayers. 
His  conversation  with  the  meiubers  of  the  church  would  turn 
on  the  subject  and  stir  up  their  zeal  and  enlist  their  prayers. 
In  his  sermons  he  would  note  the  discouraging  signs  of  the 
time,  and  rouse  the  people  of  God  from  their  slumbers  to 
prove  the  Lord  of  Hosts  by  prayer  and  personal  effort.  Nor 
"would  he  cease  until  he  saw  the  people  aroused. 

In  this  experience  he  was  not  singular.  Revivals  always 
come  to  such  men,  g )  where  they  may,  unless  the  place  be  a 
Chorazin  or  Eethsaida.  "  He  that  goeth  forth  and  weepeth, 
bearmg  precious  seed,  shall  doubtless  come  again  with  re- 
joicing, bringing  his  sheaves  with  him." 

His  measures  to  revive  his  church  were  diiiwu  from  the 
Scriptures  and  applied  in  a  Avise  and  wholesome  manner. 
Wildfire  was  not  allowed.  His  views  on  this  subject,  as  well 
as  his  methods  of  work,  are  laid  down  fully  in  his  book,  en- 
titled Tlte  Gospel  Ministry,  pp.  173-204.  The  following 
accounts  of  some  of  these  revivals  will  be  suggestive  of  some 
of  them  : 

"  In  October,  1849,  when  I  had  been  in  Lexington  a  year, 
the  Synod  of  Virginia  met  in  Petersburg.  Duiiiig  this  year 
the  congregation  slowly  but  steadily  increased.  The  troubles 
in  which  the  chui'ch  had  been  involved  with  my  predecessor 
had  driven  many  from  the  place  of  worship.  These  gradu- 
ally returned.  The  church  had  been  humbled  and  taught 
to  reahze  their  dependence  on  God,  and  a  si:)irit  of  prayer 
began  to  prevail.  Seven  made  a  profession  of  conversion 
10 


146  His  First  Rents' al  in  Lexington. 

during  the  year.  On  leaving  home  for  Petersburg,  I  pro- 
posed that,  at  the  stated  congregational  prayer-meeting,  al- 
ways held  on  Tuesday  evening,  special  prayer  should  be 
offered  for  the  blessing  of  God  on  the  meeting  of  Synod. 
The  unusual  number  that  attended  this  meeting,  and  the 
fervor  of  the  prayers  offered,  awakened  tho  hope  that  God 
■was  about  to  visit  them  with  a  season  of  refreshing.  Nor 
were  they  disappointed.  I  was  absent  for  two  Sabbaths. 
The  iDulpit  was  occupied  on  both  days  by  one  of  .the  profes- 
sors in  college,  and  only  the  stated  services  were  held.  No 
extra  efforts  whatever  had  been  emploj'ed.  AYhen  I  ap- 
j)roached  the  town  on  my  return,  I  enquired  of  one  of  the 
most  irreligious  men  of  the  place,  whom  I  met  in  the  road, 
for  the  news.  His  reply  both  surprised  and  delighted  me. 
It  was  in  these  remarkable  words,  '  All  I  know  is  that  there 
is  a  great  revival  of  religion  in  your  church.'  I  had  no 
sooner  entered  the  town  than  I  discovered,  in  j^art  at  least, 
the  truth  of  what  the  man  had  said.  As  I  passed  up  Main 
Street,  a  number  of  my  friends  came  out  to  welcome  me 
home  and  tell  me  that  a  number  of  persons  were  asking 
what  they  must  do  to  be  saved.  The  proposition  was  made 
and  pressed  that  I  should  ]:)reach  that  night.  But  I  de- 
clined. It  was  Tuesday,  and  that  night  was  the  time  of  our 
stated  prayer  meeting.  I  wished  first  to  see,  I  told  them,  how 
much  there  seems  to  be  of  a  spirit  of  prayer. 

"  The  hour  for  the  meeting  came.  They  had  had  no  pub- 
lic meeting  of  any  kind  since  the  Sabbath.  The  lecture- 
room  contained  double  as  many  people  as  I  had  ever  seen  at 
a  prayer-meeting  before.  There  was  deep  solemnity  and 
tenderness.  They  who  were  called  on  to  pray  were  evidently 
and  deeply  impressed  with  their  message  to  the  mercy- seat. 
They  wasted  no  words.  They  indulged  in  no  vain  repeti- 
tions. Their  prayers  were  brief,  pointed  and  spiritual.  An 
api)ointment  was  made  for  preaching  in  the  lecture-room  on 
"Wednesday  night.     The  house  was  densely  tilled.     I  ap- 


His  Second  Revival  ix  LexinctTon.  147 

pointed  an  inquiry  meeting,  to  be  held  in  my  study  on  Thurs- 
day evening.  Some  twelve  or  fifteen  attended.  The  work 
progressed  steadily  and  very  quietly  during  November,  De- 
cember and  January.  Thi'ough  November  v^e  had  prayer- 
meeting  or  preaching  every  night  and  no  service  in  the  day. 
Through  the  two  following  months  the  meetings  were  less 
fi'equent.  Yet  cases  of  awakening  continued  to  occur.  The 
church  register  contains  the  names  of  forty-five  members 
added  to  the  church  as  the  fruits  of  this  revival.  Besides 
these  a  few  joined  other  branches  of  the  church. 

"  This  revival  thoroughly  harmonized  the  chm'ch  and  ef- 
faced every  trace  of  the  woimd  infiicted  by  their  former 
troubles.  During  the  four  succeeding  years  there  were  a 
few  additions  at  every  communion,  and  a  very  healthful 
state  of  reHgion  prevailed.  The  hberahty  of  the  church 
greatly  improved.  They  increased  my  salary  and  abounded 
more  and  more  in  the  grace  of  giving.  The  increased  size 
of  the  congregations  made  additional  pew  rents  necessary, 
and  these  could  be  provided  only  by  filling  up  the  vacant 
space  around  the  pulpit. 

"In  August,  1853,  several  very  interesting  cases  of  con- 
version occurred.  This  seemed  to  give  new  life  to  the 
church,  and  through  September  and  October  following  the 
desire  for  a  revival  greatly  increased.  But  no  other  con- 
versions occurred  until  the  middle  of  November.  Yet 
all  the  meetings  were  well  attended.  The  Sabbath-school 
was  floui'ishing ;  much  harmony  and  brotherly  love  prevailed 
in  the  church.  Some  w^ho  had  been  neglectful,  even  of  pub- 
lic worship,  now  became  constant  in  their  attendance.  Wash- 
ington College  and  the  Virginia  Military  Institute  were  weE 
filled  and  well  conducted.  The  young  men  belonging  to  these 
institutions  were  punctual  and  decorous  in  their  attendance. 
They  filled  the  spacious  galleries  of  our  church.  One  of  the 
twenty-two  gentlemen  who  had  joined  the  church  in  the  last 
revival  was  the  keeper  of  the  j)rincij)al  hotel  in  the  town. 


148  His  Second  Revival  in  Lexington. 

One  of  the  substantial  fruits  of  this  conversion  was  the 
closing  of  his  bar.  For  four  years  no  spirituous  liquors  had 
been  sold  at  that  tavern,  and  language  cannot  describe  the 
full  extent  of  the  good  thus  accomplished. 

"  Now,  I  have  never  been  accustomed  to  hold  protracted 
meetings  for  the  purpose  of  getting  vp  a  revioal,  but  have 
always  held  such  meetings  when  the  interest  excited  by  the 
ordinary  services  of  the  church  seemed  to  make  them  neces- 
sary. 

"About  the  middle  of  N(jveniber,  1853,  as  I  sat  one  after- 
noon in  my  study,  I  was  both  surprised  and  delighted  by  a 
call  from  two  of  our  principal  merchants.  They  were  gen- 
tlemen of  intelligence  and  influence.  They  were  heads  of 
families,  pew  holders,  whose  wives  were  members  of  the 
church,  constant  attendants  on  worship,  but  had  hitherto 
appeared  quite  careless  as  to  their  personal  interest  in  re- 
ligion. They  promptly  announced  the  object  of  their  call. 
In  a  way  they  could  not  accurately  describe  they  had  be- 
come sensible  of  their  sinful  and  undone  condition,  and  de- 
sired to  know  what  they  must  do  to  be  saved.  Such  had 
been  their  early  training  that  they  were  soon  enabled  to 
embrace  Jesus  Christ  freely  offered  to  them  in  the  gospel. 
This  was  quickly  followed  by  other  cases  of  the  same  sort. 
For  about  three  months  we  now  enjoyed  one  of  the  most 
quiet  seasons  of  refreshing  I  have  ever  known.  There  was 
but  little  increase  of  public  services.  Once  or  twice  a  week 
I  usually  held  a  meeting  for  inquirers.  Rarely  more  than 
four  or  five  at  a  time  attended  these  meetings.  From  No- 
vember 12,  1853,  to  February  12,  1854,  the  church  register 
exhibits  a  list  of  forty-three  names  added  as  one  of  the  fruits 
of  this  season  of  refreshing.  Of  these,  twenty-one  were 
males  and  twenty-two  females;  as  in  the  previous  revival, 
there  were  twenty-two  males  and  twenty -three  females. 

*'  We  were  caref»il  not  to  hurry  young  converts  into  the 
church,  seldom  or  never  admitting  them  under  one  or  two 


Reflections  on  Ee\'tvals.  149 

months.  About  this  time  Ave  adopted  tlio  plan  of  taking- 
persons  recently  converted,  or  supposed  to  be  so,  under  the 
care  of  the  session  as  candidates  for  church  membership. 
In  some  cases  persons  held  this  position  for  several  months 
before  they  were  admitted,  and  some,  after  trial,  were  ad- 
vised to  withdraAV  their  application. 

"Notwithstanding-  these  precautionary  measures,  candor 
compels  me  to  confess  that  sufficient  pains  were  not  taken 
in  many  cases  to  secure  a  more  thorougli  woi-k  of  grace  be- 
fore admission  to  the  Lord's  table.  I  am  painfully  con- 
scious of  having  too  often  sought  to  convince  inquirers  that 
they  had  vahd  ground  to  hope  they  had  been  accepted  of 
God.  They  were  not  sufficiently  left  to  their  own  exertions 
and  the  guidance  of  the  Spirit.  They  had  too  much  mere 
human  help.  The  result,  I  fear,  in  some  cases,  was  delusion, 
and  in  others,  where  the  work  might  have  been  real,  it  was 
still  superficial.  Had  I  my  time  to  live  over,  I  would  trust 
less  to  my  ovm  exertions  and  more  to  the  work  of  the  Spirit. 

"  In  October,  1855,  the  Synod  of  Virginia  met  in  Lexington. 
The  impression  made  by  this  meeting  was  salutary.  The 
business  of  Synod  was  transacted  with  the  utmost  harmony-, 
and  the  preaching  both  instructive  and  impressive.  Still, 
no  awakening  occurred  among  the  impenitent.  During  the 
succeeding  w  inter,  however,  the  church  w^as  in  a  healthful 
state,  and  all  promised  well.  "When  our  stated  quarterly 
communion,  on  the  second  Sabbath  of  March,  approached, 
the  f)leasing  discovery  was  made  that  there  were  six  appli- 
cants for  admission  to  the  church.  The  social  character  and 
position  of  these  applicants  were  such  as  to  promise  good  to 
the  church.  Nor  were  we  disappointed.  Perhaps  a  larger 
amount  of  good  never  resulted  from  the  reception  of  the 
same  number  of  members. 

"  I  should  have  said  also,  that  in  January  of  that  year  much 
mischief  was  threatened  by  the  passing  of  our  chief  hotel, 
which  had  for  seven  years  been  a  thorough  temperance 


150  His  Third  Bevts^il  in  Lexington. 

house,  into  the  hands  of  those  who  avowed  their  purpose  to 
make  it  *a  genteel  drinking  establishment.* 

"Notwithstanding  this,  the  reception,  early  in  March,  of 
the  six  members  referred  to,  was  gTaciously  followed  by  other 
cases  of  religious  awakening,  which  so  multiplied  that  by 
the  middle  of  April  we  were  blessed  with  a  revival  of  greater 
extent  and  power  than  either  of  those  already  refeiTed  to." 

From  The  Central  Presbyterian: 

"  The  Lexington  Re^tval. 
"We  omit  some  editorial  matter  to  make  room  for  the 
followdng  deeply  interesting  letter  from  Dr.  White,  of  Lex- 
ington. Nothing  can  be  more  cheering  and  profitable  to 
Christians  than  the  perusal  of  such  accounts  of  God's  gracious 
dealings  with  his  people  iu  answer  to  prayer. 

"  Lexington,  Va.,  3Iay  30,  1856. 
"  Rev.  Dr.  Hoge  : 

"  My  Dear  Brother  :  When  we  met  at  Union  Seminary  a 
few  weeks  since,  you  requested  me  to  furnish  for  TJte  Cen- 
tral Presbyterian  a  statement  respecting  the  work  of  grace 
with  which  God  has  recently  blessed  the  Lexington  Church. 
I  deemed  it  premature  to  do  this  until  .the  present  time. 
On  the  last  Sabbath,  the  first  communion  since  the  revival 
commenced  was  held,  and  the  results  on  that  occasion  justify 
a  compliance  with  your  request.     . 

"For  twelve. mouths  preceding  our  communion  in  March 
last,  the  church  had  been  in  a  very  cold  state.  Everything 
good  in  our  midst  seemed  to  languish.  Two  communions 
passed  without  any  additions  on  examination,  and  only  seven 
additions  were  made  during  the  whole  year. 

"  The  meeting  of  our  Synod  here  in  October  was  highly 
prized  by  the  church  and  people  generally.  For  many  A^-eeks 
after  the  adjournment  the  remark  was  frequently  made, 
'  How  delightful  was  the  meeting  of  Synodj '     It  has  since 


Satan  Hindering.  151 

appeared  that  in  a  few  cases  impressions  were  made  on  the 
unregenerate  which  led  them  to  Christ. 

"About  the  middle  of  February  a  verbal  communication 
was  made  to  me  con p'dentii illy,  that  a  few  females  had  united 
in  special  prayer  for  a  revival.  The  fourth  Thursday  in 
February  came,  and  was  observed,  as  usual,  with  much  sol- 
emnity. About  this  time  the  principal  hotel  of  the  village, 
which  for  seven  years  had  been  a  temperance  house,  passed 
into  other  hands,  and  preparations  were  made  to  open  a 
spacious  and  attractive  bar.  The  contiguity  of  Washington 
College  and  the  Virginia  Military  Institute,  superadded  to 
many  other  considerations,  rendered  this  in  the  highest  de- 
gree undesirable.  The  proposed  change  was  resisted  by  the 
officers  of  the  two  institutions  and  others  with  much  zeal. 
Advocates  of  the  new  enterprise,  neither  few  nor  weak,  ap- 
peared on  the  other  side.  Meetings  were  held,  speeches 
made,  and  newspaper  articles  written,  until  much  bad  feel- 
ing was  engendered. 

"  This  excitement  was  greatly  increased  by  a  serious  dis- 
turbance in  college  on  the  evening  of  the  22nd  of  February, 
occasioned  by  the  unlawful  introduction  within  its  walls  of 
intoxicating  drinks.  All  this  seemed  unfavorable  to  the  re- 
vival of  pure  and  undefiled  religion.  But  'God's  ways  are 
not  as  our  ways,  nor  his  thoughts  as  our  thoughts.' 

"  In  the  midst  of  this  conflict  our  first  communion  for  the 
year  came.  During  the  week  preceding  the  second  Sabbath 
in  INIarch,  the  pleasing  discovery  was  made  that  six  unusu- 
ally interesting  cases  of  conversion  to  God  had  recently  oc- 
curred ;  and  when  we  met  on  that  Sabbath  to  commemorate 
the  dying  love  of  the  Saviour,  the  six  persons  thus  hojiefuUj' 
renewed  were  received  into  the  church.  This  i^recious  com- 
mimion  was  Hke  a  gleam  of  sun-light  breaking  through  the 
darkness  of  a  stormy  night.  Many  said,  '  It  was  good  to  be 
there.'  But  still  the  storm  raged,  and  no  indication  of  other 
awakenings  canic.     The  main  body  of  the  church  appeared 


152  An  Impeesswe  Death  Scene. 

to  be  engrossed  with  the  contest  still  going  on,  or  sunk  in 
profound  slumber.     '  The  night  was  dark  and  drean*.' 

"But  another  sign  of  the  breaking  of  day  was  seen. 
An  anonymous  letter  was  brought  to  me  from  the  postoffice. 
The  writer  is  entirely  unknown  to  this  hour.  It  was  in  these 
words: 

"'The  writer  of  this  feels  it  her  duty,  in  the  midst  of  so 
much  that  must  sadden  the  heart  of  our  dear  paster,  to  in- 
form him  that,  although  there  seems  to  be  no  outward  man- 
ifestations of  the  presence  of  God's  Spirit  among  us,  she  has 
reason  to  know^  that  the  Spirit  is  operating  on  the  hearts  of 
many  of  our  young  people,  and  a  few  professing  Christians 
are  endeavoring  to  arouse  themselves  from  their  long  slum- 
ber. This  is  written  to  encourage  our  pastor,  because  outward 
manifestations  of  interest  do  not  seem  to  exist.' 

"Now,  too,  a  member  of  the  Ann  Smith  Academy  ex- 
pressed her  surprise,  on  coming  home  from  school,  that 
several  of  the  young  ladies  of  the  Academy  '  had  for  several 
days  appeared  very  serious,  that  they  were  often  seen  sej^a- 
rated  from  the  other  girls,  conversing  and  reading  the  Bible 
together.'  The  daughter  of  a  pious  father,  too,  sought  an 
interview  with  him  to  ask  what  she  must  do  to  be  saved. 

"Just  in  this  state  of  things  came  the  terrible  calamity 
which  ended  in  the  death  of  young  Booker  (young  Booker 
was  a  student  of  Washington  College  who  had  been  acci- 
dentally shot  by  a  pistol  in  the  hands  of  a  fellow-student,  his 
room-mate  and  w^rin  personal  friend).  This  sad  story  is 
well  known  to  all  your  readers.  He  lived,  to  the  surprise  of 
every  one,  more  than  two  days,  during  all  which  time  he  re- 
affirmed his  faith  in  Christ  with,  so  much  clearness,  warned 
and  exhorted  his  attendants  and  friends  so  faithfully,  and 
prayed  for  them  so  fervently,  that  many  were  r.t  once  sav- 
ingly awakened. 

"  One  week  after  his  funeral,  the  Eev.  John  H.  Bocock,  in 
comphance  with  a  promise  made  to  mc  several  months  be- 


The  Harvest.  153 

fore,  came  to  preach  for  us.  lie  preached  live  sermons, 
which  many  will  never  forget.  A  Aveck  after  he  kit,  the 
Eev.  B.  T.  Lacv,  also  in  compliance  with  a  proniise  made 
some  time  before,  came  and  helped  us.  God  greatly  helped 
him. 

"The  number  of  those  attending  the  meetings  for  religious 
inquiry  now  amounted  to  sixty.  We  arran--ed  our  meetings 
so  that  they  should  not  interfere  with  the  ordinary  duties 
either  of  the  citizen,  the  student  or  the  cadet.  All  went 
on  calmly,  but  very  earnestly.  The  irreligious  and  the  un- 
concerned expressed  astonishment  at  the  absence  of  all  ap- 
pearance of  disorder  or  excess. 

"  We  were  also  favored  during  the  time  with  several  ser- 
mons from  the  Rev.  J.  H.  Smith,  of  Charlottesville,  and  Eev. 
"Wm.  G.  Campbell,  of  Staunton,  and  one  very  unexpectedly 
from  my  excellent  old  friend  and  brother,  Eev.  Wm.  Ham- 
ersley,  and  two  from  one  whom  I  shall  make  free  to  call  one 
of  the  sons  of  our  own  church,  the  Eev.  Chas.  M.  See.  All 
these  brethren  were  blessed  in  their  own  souls,  and  made 
blessings  to  us. 

"  Considerably  more  than  two  months  have  elapsed  since 
this  gracious  work  commenced,  nor  has  it  ceased.  The  ex- 
tra preacliing  has  ceased,  but  still  unmistakaVJe  tokens  of 
the  presence  of  God's  Spirit  are  seen. 

"  The  town,  the  College,  and  the  Military  Institute  shared 
about  equally  in  this  blessed  work. 

"  Last  Sabbath  the  Lord's  supper  was  celebrated  in  our 
church,  and  we  deemed  it  proper  to  give  to  those  who,  two 
or  three  weeks  before,  had  put  themselves  under  the  care  of 
session  as  candidates  for  church  membership  an  opportunity 
to  confess  Christ  before  men.  On  that  occasion  fifty-five 
were  received.  Of  these  thirty  were  nuiles  and  twenty-five 
females.  Six  others  still  stand  as  candidates,  and  several 
others  are  still  anxiously  seeking  the  way  of  life. 

"Fifteen  students  of  college  have  united  with  the  Pres- 


154  A  Day  Never  to  be  Foegotten. 

byterian  and  five  ^vith  the  Episcoj^al  Church,  while  nineteen 
cadets  have  joined  the  Episcopal  and  two  the  Presbyterian 
Church.  Ono  student  and  three  or  four  cadets  have  also 
joined  either  the  Baptist  or  Methodist  Church;  a  third 
cadet  awaits  the  consent  of  his  father  to  join  our  church. 

"  A  most  dehghtful  spirit  prevails.  The  young  men  of 
the  two  institutions  worship  together  with  the  utmost  har- 
mony. Asperity  has  been  banished.  The  angry  contro- 
versy about  the  tavern  bar  has  long  since  ceased,  and  the 
very  atmosphere  of  schools  and  village  seems  imbued  with 
the  Divine  Spirit.  To  all  '  who  love  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
in  sincerity  and  truth  '  it  has  been,  and  still  is,  a  time  of 
calm,  yet  very  high  religious  enjoyment.  Surely  nothing 
but  that  religion  which  rises  to  the  highest  and  stoops  to 
the  lowest  could  produce  the  change  now  distinctly  seen  in 
individuals  and  through  the  community. 

"  Last  Sabbath  was  a  day  never  to  be  forgotten  by  our 
people.  Fifty- five  j'oung  disciples,  rising  in  the  midst  of  an 
immense  audience  and  singing  as  they  arose  and  stood — 

"  'Jesus,  I  my  cross  have  taken, 
All  to  leave  aud  follow  thee, 
Nakerl,  poor,  despised,  forsaken, 
Thou  my  all  from  hence  shall  be. ' 

This  w^as  a  scene  not  to  be  described.  My  faith  is  scarcely 
strong  enough  to  warrant  the  expectation  that  I  shall  live 
to  see  another  like  it.  But  be  this  as  it  may,  the  recollec- 
tion of  this  will  go  with  me  through  life,  and  cheer  me  in 
death. 

"Thirteen  of  those  admitted  were  baptized,  among  whom, 
I  cannot  refrain  from  stating,  was  the  cherished  friend  of 
Booker,  who  so  unintentionally  and  so  sadly  to  himself 
had  been  the  occasion  of  his  death.  "When  this  esteemed 
young  man  presented  himself  for  baptism,  almost  the  whole 
audience  wept.      Gratitude  to  God  went  up  from  many  a 


Means  of  Promoting  the  Bevival.  155 

heart,  that  out  of  so  deep  an  aliliction  so  rich  a  blessing  had 
been  brought. 

"  The  worship  was  closed  by  singing  the  good  old  hymn, 
commencing — 

' ' '  How  firm  a  foundation,  ye  saints  of  the  Lord, 
Is  laid  for  your  faith  in  his  excellent  word.' 

The  singing  of  this  hymn,  associated  in  the  minds  and  hearts 
of  the  children  of  God  with  all  that  had  preceded  it,  called 
forth  feelings  which  bore  them  far  tovmrds  heaven. 
"  Yours  truly  and  affectionately, 

"Wm.  S.  WmTE. 

"P.  ^. — The  books  and  tracts  of  our  Board  of  Pubhcation 
have  been  eminently  blessed  in  the  awakening  of  the  care- 
less, the  guiding  of  the  anxious,  and  the  confirming  of  the 
young  convert.  There  has  been  such  a  demand  for  these 
publications  that  we  were  obhged  to  order  a  fresh  supply  by 
express. 

"  The  revival  seemed  to  begin  and,  for  a  long  time,  to  be 
confined  to  a  small  portion  of  the  church.  Let  the  pastors 
of  large  and  sleeping  churches  take  courage.  *  Where  two 
or  three  are  gathered  together  in  ray  name,  there  am  I  in 
the  midst  of  them.  W.  S.  W." 

"Immediately  after  the  communion  on  the  second  Sabbath 
in  March,  I  left  home  to  assist  the  Rev.  B.  T.  Lacy  in  a  sac- 
ramental meeting  at  Salem,  Eoanoke  county,  and  to  visit  my 
daughter  at  Christiansburg,  Montgomery  county.  Pro- 
posals were  then  made  to  me  to  leave  Lexington,  of  so  invit- 
ing a  kind  that  I  was  strongly  inclined  to  do  so.  I  said  to 
those  making  it :  *  If  the  angry  excitement  prevailing  con- 
tinues, I  shall  leave.'  But  I  reached  home  just  as  3'oung 
Booker  died,  in  time  to  preach  his  funeral  sermon,  found 
the  letter  of  my  ane)nymou3  C()rres2:)ondent,  the  revival  in 
progress,  and  so  determined  to  remain. 


15G  Chubch  Building  Enlarged. 

"  This  revival  added  sixty-eight  to  the  membership  of  the 
church,  the  majority  of  ^shom  were  young  men.  Many  of 
these  were  well  educated,  and  most  of  them  were  in  the  way 
to  be  so.  The  church  vras  not  only  enlarged,  but  strength- 
ened. The  cases  of  apostasy  were  fewer  than  tln)se  of  either 
of  the  preceding  revivals.  Indeed,  we  had  great  reason  to 
be  thankful  that  the  number  of  such  was  so  small  in  each 
case. 

"  From  June,  1856,  to  the  present  time,  October,  1864,  the 
church  has  enjoyed  no  general  revival.  The  largest  number 
received  in  any  one  year  since  was  nineteen  on  profession 
and  ten  on  certificate. 

"But  the  congregation  had  so  increased  that  it  was  deemed 
advisable  in  1857  either  to  colonize  and  build  a  new  house 
of  worship,  having  a  pastor  to  each,  or  else  to  enlarge  their 
house  of  worship  and  remain  together. 

"I  very  sincerely  expressed  my  willingness  to  agree  to 
either  plan.  If  they  deemed  it  best  to  colonize  and  build  a 
new  chui'ch,  I  would  willingly  take  charge  of  either  if  de- 
sired, or  retire  altogether.     My  proposal  met  with  no  favor. 

"  After  many  meetings,  and  after  asking  the  advice  of  the 
Presbytery,  in  1859  they  entered  upon  fhe  enlargement  of 
the  building  then  in  use.  They  added  ten  feet  to  the  length 
of  the  building,  and  a  Aving  to  the  right  and  left  of  the  pul- 
pit, each  twenty  feet  s:piare,  with  considerable  increase  of 
the  galleries,  especially  for  the  accommodation  of  the  colored 
people.  The  w^ork  was  a  complete  success.  The  church 
was  much  enlarged  and  beautified,  at  an  expense  of  some- 
thing over  $4,000.  The  lecture-room  also  was  improved,  at 
an  expense  of  $1,200. 

*'  A  congregational  meeting  was  now  held,  and  a  proj^osi- 
tion  unanimously  adopted  to  re-assess  all  the  pews  and  relet 
them.  This  succeeded,  and  every  pew  was  at  once  taken  at 
an  increased  price.  The  chui'ch  now  enjoyed  a  large  mea- 
sure of  prosperity.     The  congregation  was  considerably  in- 


i 


Increased  Prosperity.  157 

creased  iii  size,  the  prayer-meetiDg*  well  attended,  and  the 
two  Sabbath-schools,  one  for  the  whites  and  the  other  for  the 
blacks,  were  full.  The  latter  of  these  schools  was  organized 
in  1856,  by  Major  (afterwards  General)  Thomas  J.  Jackson^ 
and  was  superintended  by  him  with  distinguished  energy 
and  success,  until  he  was  called  to  act  so  conspicuous  a  part 
in  the  defence  of  our  invaded  country'.  The  singleness  of 
aim,  the  purity  of  motive,  the  enlightened  zeal  and  practical 
wisdom  of  this  man,  whose  fame  is  now  wide  as  the  world, 
made  h^n.  a  blessing  to  the  church  which  no  language  can 
adequately  express.  He  joined  the  church  with  six  others, 
on  the  22nd  of  November,  1851,  and  soon  after  w-as  elected 
a  deacon.  As  his  biography  has  already  been  written,  and 
as  it  will  hereafter  be  rewritten  imtil  the  civilized  world  will 
be  familiar  with  the  leading  traits  of  his  character  and  the 
events  of  his  life,  no  more  need  be  said  here.  For  about  ten 
years  it  was  my  privilege  to  sustain  to  him  the  two-fold  re- 
lation of  pastor  and  personal  friend — a  privilege  I  shall 
prize  as  one  of  the  richest  of  my  life  until  my  work  on  earth 
is  ended. 

"From  the  beginning  of  my  professional  life,  I  have  felt  a 
deep  interest  and  made  special  exertions  for  the  spiritual 
good  of  the  colored  people.  I  have  stated  before  that,  when 
I  came  to  Lexmgton  I  found  the  church  edifice,  then  recently 
erected,  though  large,  not  large  enough  to  accommodate 
many  of  this  people.  To  obviate  this,  my  first  effort  was 
to  preach  to  them  on  Sabbath  afternoon.  For  a  time  many- 
attend  :d  and  seemed  interested;  but  their  practical  exclu- 
sion from  our  house  of  worship  had  turned  them  to  the 
Baj^tist  and  Methodist  churches.  Only  about  a  dozen,  and 
these  chiefly  old  and  infirm,  were  communicants  in  our 
church.  Death  and  removal  soon  diminished  their  number 
to  only  two  or  three,  and  nothing  else  was  done  to  supply  their 
places.     I  record  this  with  no  little  shame  and  mortification. 

"After  some  years  I  proposed  to  the  church  that  Saturday 


158  General  T.  J.  Jackson. 

afternoon  should  be  allowed  to  them,  on  condition  that  they 
would  attend  on  a  service  to  be  held  b}^  me  at  that  time  for 
their  benefit.  Now,  too,  they  attended  well  for  a  time,  but 
soon  fell  away.  The  truth  is,  that  they  had  become  so 
enamored  with  a  boisterous  sort  of  meeting  that  they  could 
not  rehsh  oiir  calm  and  quiet  method  of  proceeding.  As 
the  labor  was  seen  to  be  too  arduous  for  me,  the  church 
employed  a  3'ounger  minister,  admirably  fitted  for  the  work, 
to  take  the  oversight  of  them  as  his  special  charge.  He 
labored  faithfully  for  a  time,  but  with  no  visible  sign  of  suc- 
cess.    Thus  attempt  after  attempt  has  failed. 

"But  the  Sabbath-school,  founded  by  General  Jackson  for 
their  benefit,  was  a  decided  success.  This  distinguished 
man  threw  himself  into  this  work  with  all  of  his  character- 
istic energy  and  wisdom.  AVhatsoever  he  did  prospered. 
To  the  moment  he  was  always  punctual  at  the  opening  of 
the  school.  Although  wholly  ignorant  of  the  science  of 
music,  and  having  neither  ear  nor  voice  for  singing,  he  yet 
learned  so  to  sing 

' ' '  Amazing  grace,  how  sweet  tlie  sound 
That  saved  a  wretch  like  me, ' 

that  the  school  would  recognize  it  and  carry  it  along.  Sab- 
bath after  Sabbath  he  would  stand  before  his  school  of  blacks 
and  I'aise  this  hj-mn  and  tune  for  them. 

"He  issued  monthty  reports  to  the  owners  of  the  slaves. 
These  reports  he  delivered  in  person,  calling  each  month  at 
every  house  where  one  of  his  pupils  lived.  When  necessar}^ 
he  conferred  with  the  family  about  all  matters  connected 
with  the  behavior  or  misbeha\ior  of  the  pupils. 

"Under  his  management  this  school  became  one  of  the 
most  interesting  and  useful  institutions  in  the  church.  So 
deep  was  the  interest  he  felt  in  it  that,  during  the  Avar,  when 
he  was  at  the  fronts  in  the  midst  of  active  campaigns,  he 
would  find  time  to  write  asking  about  it,  and  otherwise 


Efforts  for  the  Slaves.  159 

«liowing  how  closely  it  lay  ou  his  brave  heart.     This  school 
is  now  (November  17,  1864)  prosperous  and  doing  good." 

The  school  continued  in  operation  over  thirty  years,  and 
was  at  last  brought  to  a  close  only  when  the  necessity  for  its 
continuance  passed  away. 

These  statements  about  General  "  Stonewall "  Jackson  by 
Dr.  White  are  corroborated  by  Mrs.  Margaret  Preston,  the 
General's  sister-in-law,  in  an  article  published  by  her  in  Tlie 
Sunday-school  Times  of  December  3,  1887.  She  writes  as 
follows:  "And  when  the  major  had  become  a  general,  and 
■was  sweeping  back  and  forth  through  his  native  Virginia  at 
the  head  of  his  army,  he  rarely  wrote  a  letter  home  in  which 
something  Avas  not  said  about  his  well-beloved  Sunday -school. 
Success  or  defeat,  anxiety  or  suffering,  glory  or  grief,  nothiDg 
made  him  forget  it,  or  cease  to  be  interested  in  its  welfare." 

If  Dr.  White  had  depended  solely  upon  his  pulpit  and  pas- 
toral work,  his  success  as  a  minister  would  have  been  less 
marked.  He  did  much  exti'a  work,  which  seconded  his 
main  work  by  increasing  the  area  of  his  usefulness,  multi- 
plying the  number  of  his  friends,  and  preparing  the  way 
for  his  pulpit  power.  He  took  hold  of  everything  with  wis- 
dom and  earnestness  that  could  be  made  subsidiary  to 
preaching,  so  that  his  success  was  the  aggregate  result  of 
many  efforts  in  many  directions.  As  his  work  among  the 
negroes  led  to  the  development  of  the  working  power  of 
General  Jackson  and  others  in  the  same  way,  so  his  efforts 
in  the  mutter  of  intemperance  set  others  to  work  in  this  di- 
rection, and  drew  friends  to  his  side. 

Work  in  the  Temperance  Cause. 
Two  days  after  coming  to  Lexington  with  his  family,  No- 
vember, 1848,  the  election  of  General  Z.  Taylor  to  the  Pres- 
idency of  the  United  States  took  place.     On  that  day  the 
streets  of  the  town  were  tilled  with  diinking  men,  and  about 


160  General  Jackson's  Negro  Sunday-school. 

twelve  o'clock  the  fighting-  began.  Never  before,  and  never 
since,  have  we  seen  so  many  personal  combats  take  j^lace  in 
so  short  a  time  and  in  so  small  a  place.  Between  the  court- 
house and  the  upper  tavern  on  Main  street  we  saw  many  in 
quick  succession.  A  part  of  the  time  two  were  going  on  at 
once,  the  one  of  which  w?.s  between  two  very  old  and  gray- 
haired  men. 

The  Scotch-Irish  settlements  in  the  Valley  of  Virginia 
were  noted  for  three  things:  churches,  academies  of  learn- 
ing and  distilleries.  The  latter  flourished  in  spite  of  the 
former,  and,  among  a  less  sturdy,  intelligent  and  godly  race 
of  people,  would  have  led  to  utter  demoralizajtion. 

Dr.  White's  great  heart  was  stiiTed  as  he  beheld  the 
aboundings  of  this  iniquity.  We  have  heard  him  over  and 
over  again,  in  the  family  circle,  count  up  the  distilleries  in 
the  county,  and  lament  the  almost  universal  use  of  alcoholic 
stimulants  in  both  county  and  town.  He  determined,  by  the 
help  of  God,  to  abate  or  destroy  the  evil.  He  joined  the 
Sons  of  Temperance,  not  because,  as  we  heard  him  say,  he 
thought  it  the  best  thing,  but  because  he  believed  there  was 
nothing  wrong  in  it,  and  because,  if  he  "could  not  get  a 
long,  straight  hickory  to  kill  a  snake  in  his  joath,  he  would 
take  any  stick  he  could  find,  however  crooked."  He  ad- 
dressed them  on  public  occasions  in  Lexington.  He  went 
out  into  the  county  of  Rockbridge  in  every  direction  to  make 
speeches.  He  influenced  others  to  do  likewise.  He  talked 
with  the  country  people  when  they  came  to  town  on  the  sub- 
ject, made  appointments  through  them  for  public  gather- 
ings at  different  places.  Thus  he  kept  up  the  agitation 
of  the  popular  mind  on  the  subject.  Twice  we  recol- 
lect that  he,  after  speaking  at  two  points  in  the  countiy, 
went  home  with  the  distillers  in  those  neighborhoods  ta 
spend  the  night,  and  made  himself  as  agreeable  as  possible, 
by  conversation  on  any  and  every  other  subject  than  that  on 
which  he  had  spoken  in  public.      One  of  these  distillers 


Home  Missionary  Work.  161 

volunteered,  as  he  was  leaviii*^*  the  next  morning,  to  say  to 
him:  "I  do  not  want  to  say  anything  rashly,  but  I  think  I 
will  never  distil  another  drop."  And  he  kept  his  word. 
This  was  one  of  the  peculiar  talents  of  T>i\  "White;  he  could 
denounce  a  sin  with  the  utmost  sternness  in  such  a  way  that 
the  sinner  would  not  take  it  amiss.  In  a  few  j-ears  distil- 
Hng  was  almost  entirely  abandoned  throughout  the  county. 

Home  Missionary  Work. 

Throughout  life  he  was  devoted  to  Home  Missionary  work. 
'When  he  lived  in  Nottoway  his  regular  work  extended  over 
this  county,  w^ith  those  of  Amelia  and  Dinwiddle.  But  his 
zeal  for  God  and  for  souls  drove  him  at  times  into  the  re- 
gions beyond.  When  he  lived  in  Charlottesville,  a  large 
part  of  each  summer  was  spent  in  travelling  through  ]Madi- 
son,  Culpeper,  Green,  Orange,  Fauquier,  Rappahannock,  and 
other  coimties,  preaching  in  school-houses  and  farm-houses, 
as  well  as  churches.  As  he  was  lame,  he  always  took  one  of 
his  sons  along  with  him  through  these  counties,  to  open  the 
gates  and  let  down  the  check-rein  for  his  horse  to  drink. 
"VMien  he  lived  in  Lexington  he  did  the  same  sort  of  work, 
helping  the  brethren  in  the  upper  end  of  the  Valley  of  Vir- 
ginia, and  in  Southwest  Virginia.  The  Lord  sent  times  oi 
refreshing  to  Salem,  Christiansburg,  Blacksburg,  Wytheville, 
Union,  in  West  Virginia,  and  other  places  that  he  visited. 
Thus  his  labor  was  rewarded,  and  his  heart  w^armed  up  with 
fresh  zeal  for  work  at  home  on  his  return.  He  preferred 
spending  his  vacations  in  this  way  to  lolling  at  the  watering- 
places,  or  sight-seeing  in  Europe. 

On  these  excursions,  besides  preaching  the  word,  he  made 
many  temj)erance  speeches  and  speeches  on  education,  and 
did  a  great  deal  of  wayside,  colloquial  preaching.  These 
two  causes  lay  next  to  the  gospel  in  his  heart.  We  have 
heard  him  on  the  road  with  strangers  defending  the  Uni- 
versity of  Virginia,  at  a  time  when  public  sentiment  was 
11 


162  Illustrative  Anecdote. 

running  strongly  against  it,  and  advising  a  liberal  education 
for  3'oung  men  as  the  best  possible  money-investment  for 
them.  His  reasons  are  distinctly  remembered  after  the 
lapse  of  over  forty  years,  although  but  a  child  when  we  heard 
them. 

To  make  himself  agreeable  to  every  one  was  his  constant 
aim.  Not  only  in  his  own  house,  but  on  the  roadside,  in 
the  stage-coach,  wherever  his  elbow  touched  that  of  a  fel- 
low-man, rich  or  poor,  well-dressed  or  ill,  educated  or  igno- 
rant, he  laid  himself  out  to  make  time  pass  pleasantly. 

As  a  conversationalist  he  never  argued  or  made  speeches,  ♦ 
nor  did,  as  Macaulay  says  of  Samuel  Johnson,  "  fold  his 
legs  up  to  have  his  talk  out,"  but  exchanged  sentiments, 
told  stories,  dealt  in  pleasantry.  Conversation  was  with  him 
colloquial,  mind  acting  upon  mind  and  thought  playing  be- 
tween, 

* '  Heart-affluence  iu  discursive  talk, 
From  household  fountains  never  dry. " 

On  missionary  excursions  this  served  him  a  good  turn;  for 
w^hen  he  had  ingratiated  himself  into  the  good  will  of  a 
man  by  pleasant  intercourse,  he  would,  by  a  versatility 
often  remarked  upon,  give  conversation  a  serious  turn,  and 
b}'  a  well-told  anecdote  or  a  sentence  or  two  breathing 
the  spirit  of  the  gospel,  plant  a  religious  truth  in  the  mind 
of  his  friend. 

One  of  the  elders  of  his  church  once  said  of  him,  that  he 
showed  this  versatility  sometimes  in  the  pulpit.  When  he 
saw  his  audience  growing  drowsy  he  wuuld  tell  an  anecdote 
to  wake  them  up,  then  go  ahead.  He  could  turn  in  a  mo- 
ment from  the  deepest  seriousness  to  humor,  and  that  too 
without  effort  or  affectation.  We  remember  hearing  him 
once,  on  a  missionary  tour,  bolt  out  an  outlandish  word  in 
his  sermon.  Riding  away  from  church  we  asked  him  why 
he  did  so.  "Did  you  not  see,"  he  replied,  "that  the  con- 
gregation was  becoming  listless  and  some  of  them  sleep}^  ? 


iLLusTRATrs'E  Anecdote.  163 

I  used  that  word  jnst  to  wake  them  up  and  get  their  atten- 
tion."    And  he  did  it. 

Another  instance  illustrative  of  this  talent  is  given  W  the 
Heligious  Herald,  a  Baptist  paper  j)ublished  in  Richmond, 
Va.,  dated  September  8th,  1887.  "  This  about  dancing  we 
clip  from  the  correspondence  of  the  Western  Recorder: 
'About  thirty  years  ago,  w^e  heard  old  Dr.  AVm.  S.  White, 
Stonewall  Jackson's  pastor,  at  Lexington,  Ya.,  preach  a  ser- 
mon from  the  text,  "Be  not  conformed  to  this  world."  In 
the  course  of  his  sermon  he  had  a  good  deal  to  say  about 
dancing,  and  we  have  never  forgotten  some  of  his  observa- 
tions on  that  subject.  For  instance,  "A  sister  with  whom  I 
was  remonstrating  for  sending  her  daughter  to  a  dancing 
school  said  to  me,  '  Well,  she  had  better  dance  than  talk 
scandal.'  'Madam,'  said  I,  'you  are  paying  j^our  daughter  a 
very  poor  compliment.  You  are  saying  that  she  has  not 
sense  enough  to  carry  on  a  conversation  without  resorting 
to  scanidal,  or  else  you  are  saying  that  she  is  so  brimful  of 
scandal  that  she  must  needs  talk  it  out  at  her  head  or  dance 
it  out  at  her  heels.'" 

"  'Again,  "But  people  are  continually  asking  me  if  danc- 
mg  in  the  abstract  is  wrong.  Well,  no ;  and  if  you  wdll  only 
dance  in  the  abstract  you  will  never  hear  any  objection  from 
me.  But  unfortunately  I've  never  known  any  one  to  dance 
in  the  abstract.  AU  the  dancing  that  ever  I  knew^  was  in 
the  concrete."  We  really  think  this  is  one  of  the  smartest 
things  that  we  ever  heard  anybody  say  on  this  subject.'" 

"Yes,"  says  the  Baptist  Herald,  "old  Dr.  White  vxis 
smart,  and,  what  is  better,  he  was  an  able  and  successful 
minister  and  pastor." 

He  never  forgot  that  he  *vas  the  servant  of  Christ,  and- 
anywhere  and  everywhere  sought  out  opportunities  of  use- 
fulness. He  would  cheerfully  leave  the  most  entertaininii' 
company  to  speak  a  w^ord  for  God  to  souls.  Stopping  at  a 
country  tavern,  called  "Blue  Bidge  Hotel,"  in  Botetourt 


164  Illustrative  Anecdote. 

county,  Va.,  aud  learning,  after  supper,  t'lat  tlie  Sons  of 
Temperance  ^^eYe  to  hold  a  stated  meeting  not  far  off,  lie 
left  his  company,  went  to  the  lodge,  and  made  a  little 
speech.  Years  afterwards,  stopping  at  the  same  tavern,  we 
met  one  who  was  present  aud  heard  the  speech,  who  gave  a 
long  account  of  it  and  the  good  done  to  the  cause. 

Thus  he  did  the  work  of  an  evangelist  and  inade  full  proof 
of  his  ministry.  The  thought  of  hiring  himself  out  to  a 
congregation  to  do  so  much  work  for  so  much  pay  could 
never  have  taken  root  in  his  mind.  Yet  he  did  not  neglect 
his  special  charge,  but  felt  bound  in  conscience  to  lay  out 
his  strength  for  those  over  whom  God  had  made  him  overseer. 

No  minister  of  the  gospel  could  be  further  removed  from 
W'hat  King  Charles  calls  "the  ghostly  influence  of  my  chap- 
lains "  than  was  he.  He  was  intensely  human ;  he  loved  ah. 
sorts  of  genteel  society.  When  a  visitor  at  a  public  place, 
such  as  a  "health  resort,"  he  mixed  with  the  people  in  the 
parlors,  on  the  piazzas  and  lawns ;  he  used  his  room  to  sleep 
in,  but  for  little  else.  No  one  would  ever  take  him  to  be  a 
preacher  from  his  dress  or  manner. 

A  pleasant  little  incident  once  occurred  with  him  at  the 
"Warm  Springs,  Bath  Co.,  Va.,  which  has  been  going  the 
rounds  of  the  newspapers  for  years.  Sometimes  it  is  told 
of  one  minister  and  then  of  another.  Tlie  last  account  we 
saw  of  it  gave  the  names  of  the  parties  as  a  clergyman  of 
the  Church  of  England  and  a  member  of  the  British  Parlia- 
ment. 

After  sitting  for  an  hour  with  a  party  of  gentlemen  in  the 
parlor  of  this  "watering  place,"  one  of  whom  was  Senator 
Orr,  of  South  Carolina, — then,  if  we  remember  aright.  Gov- 
ernor of  his  State  -  he  arose  to  leave.  As  he  w^as  walking 
across  the  floor,  limping,  with  a  limp  peculiar  to  him  from 
childhood,  Mr.  Orr  sprang  to  his  feet  and  recalled  him,  say- 
ing, "Dr.  White,  were  you  not  chaplain  at  the  University  of 
Virginia  in  1840  f 


Christian  Firmness.  165 

"Yes,"  replied  the  Doctor. 

"Well,  I  thought  so;  I  recognized  you  by  your  walk;  I 
"was  a  student  there  then." 

I)r.  White  answered  pleasantly,  "  Governor,  my  infirmity 
seems  to  have  impressed  you  more  deeply  than  niy  preach- 
ing or  conversation — a  rather  equivocal  compliment,  is  it 
not?" 

"Oh!"  replied  the  goveriior,  with  the  most  excellent  wit, 
"Pardon  me,  Doctor,  but  I  think  there  is  a  compliment  in 
it  after  all.  Is  it  not  better  to  be  recognized  by  one's  ^oalk 
than  by  his  conversation  V 

Combined  with  versatility,  zeal,  sw^eetness  and  humor,  was, 
as  Dr.  E.  L.  Dabney  calls  it,  his  "lion-like  courage."  He 
never  drove  a  measure  through  his  session,  nor  forced  his 
own  ideas  upon  his  congregation.  But  when  the  time  came, 
he  could  oppose  a  host,  even  of  the  good  and  mighty. 

In  the  winter  of ,  the  Eev.  Dr.  W.  J.  Baird  was  in- 
vited by  the to  deliver  a  series  of  lectures  in  Lexing- 
ton, on  his  travels  in  Europe.  When  Dr.  Baird  came,  and 
was  in  the  town,  and  notice  given,  some  of  the  gentlemen  of 
the  place,  lawyers,  professors,  politicians,  and  others,  learn- 
ing that  his  name  w^as  on  the  list  of  the  one  thousand 
clergymen,  who  had  petitioned  Congress  to  prohibit  slavery 
from  the  territories,  made  a  great  clamor  about  his  aboli- 
tionism, in  order  to  drive  him  from  the  town,  or  throw  cold 
water  upon  his  lectures. 

Dr.  White,  though  a  decided  pro-slavery  man,  determined 
to  stand  by  him,  as  the  invited  guest  of  the  commimity,  and 
introduced  him  to  the  audience  the  first  evening  with  a 
speech,  giving  his  reason  for  so  doing,  which  he  closed  with 
the  well-known  words,  "Sink  or  swiiii,  live  or  die,  survive  or 
perish,  I  give  my  hand  to  this  brother."  He  prevailed.  The 
people,  as  a  mass,  stood  by  him,  although  the  agitators 
staj-ed  away  and  sulked  in  their  homes. 

The  pulpit  work  of  Dr.  White  was  characterized  princi- 


16G  Pulpit  Work. 

pally  by  spiritual  power.  He  believed  in  the  preparation  by 
the  Holy  Sj)ii'it  for  public  -worship  of  the  hearts  of  both 
preacher  and  people,  and  came  from  the  mercy-seat  to  the 
pulpit.  He  tried  to  see  the  face  of  God  before  looking  into 
the  faces  of  his  audience,  and  to  bring  fresh  feeling  from 
God  to  the  work.  Therefore,  the  blood  mounted  to  his  face 
and  his  soul  glowed  with  intense  ardor.  As  Mr.  Longfellow 
poetically  said  of  his  favorite  j)reacher,  one  could  always 
"hear  his  heart  beat." 

While  not  eschewing  the  graces  of  rhetoric  or  the  methods 
of  logic,  they  were  alwajs  subsidiary  to  the  one  design  of 
making  the  truth  plain.  They  never  caught  the  eye  in  his 
preaching  more  than  the  frame  that  holds  the  light  in  the 
darkness. 

Yet  his  study  w^as  not  only  an  oratory,  it  was  a  workshop 
also.  He  was  fond  of  books,  and  made  a  good  use  of  them, 
although  perhaps  not  so  patient  and  plodding  a  student  as 
some  others.  His  sermons  in  manuscript  show  an  exactness 
of  method  that  did  not  impress  us  when  delivered.  It  is 
obvious  from  these  that  he  studied  closely,  and  carried 
"beaten  oil  into  the  pulpit."  Out  of  the  hundreds  in  our 
possession,  not  one  can  be  found  whose  order  is  not  regular, 
and  that  does  not  abound  in  thought. 

Rev.  Dr.  Dabney  writes:  "I  have  heard  from  him  many 
able,  well-knit,  doctrinal  sermons,  especially  while  chaj^lain 
at  the  University." 

Dr.  Plumer  writes:  "His  pulpit  was  his  throne."  Per- 
haps these  two  heard  him  more  frequently  than  any  of  his 
professional  brethren.  In  sermonizing,  we  would  say,  Ezra 
w^as  his  model,  who  "read  in  the  book,  in  the  law  of  God 
distinctly,  and  gave  the  sense,  and  caused  them  to  under- 
stand the  reading." 


CHAPTEB    XII.  ' 

1861-1865. 

A  ' '  Union  Man  "  at  the  Secession  of  South  Carolina.  — What  Changed 
HIS  Mind  and  that  of  his  State.  — Abolitionism  and  Secession- 
ism. — List  of  those  in  his  Church  and  Congregation  who  Per- 
ished, OR  were  Disabled  for  Life  in  the  War.  — Depreciated 
Currency. — Peace  in  the  Midst  of  War. — Extract  from  a  Let- 
ter of  his  Son  who  Fell  in  Battle.  — False  Philanthropy  of  Abo- 
litionists.— Their  Agency  in  Bringing  on  the  War. — The  Nat. 
Turner  Insurrection. — John  Brown's  Diabolical  Scheme. — The 
Southern  People  on  the  Defensive  for  Thirty  Years  Prior  to 
the  War. — Gen.  Hunter's  Ruffianism  in  Lexington. — Shells, 
Burns  and  Sacks  the  Town. — Gen.  Averill's  ExIid;  a  Thorough 
Gentleman.  — Chaplains  in  the  Northern  Army.  — -The  Gayety 
among  the  People.  -  -Sir  Walter  Scott's  Review  of  the  French 
Revolution.  —  "The  Lost  Cause." — Grace  Triumphs. 

' '  Where  cattle  pastured  1  ate,  now  scatter'd  lies 
With  carcasses  and  arms  th'  ensanguin'd  field. 
Deserted." 

*'nnHE  opening  of  the  spring  of  1861  found  my  family  and 
-*-  congregation  in  the  enjoyment  of  a  measure  of  prosper- 
ity rarely  possessed  in  this  world.  We  had  health  and  com- 
petence. Five  little  families  that  had  gone  out  from  our 
family  altar  now  had  such  altars  of  their  own.  One  darling 
boy  was  prosecuting  his  studies  for  the  ministr\'  with  emi- 
nent success.  The  youngest  had  just  entered  Washington 
College,  being  in  his  sixteenth  year. 

"The  chiu'ch  was  harmonious.  The  two  Sabbath-schools, 
the  prayer-meetings,  the  worship  of  the  sanctuary,  were  well 
attended,  and  a  communion  had  rarely  occurred  for  years 
without  gratifying  additions  to  the  church.     How  good  and 

167 


168  ViRGINLV.  AND  SECESSION. 

how  pleasant  it  was  thus  to  live  under  the  fostering  care  and 
love  of  the  God  of  peace ! 

"But  fearful  omens  of  great  trouble  appeared  in  the 
North.  A  sectional  President  and  Vice-president  of  the 
United  States  had  been  elected,  in  the  autumn  of  18G0,  by 
a  bare  plurality  of  votes,  and  several  of  the  Southern  States 
had  quietly  withdrawn  from  the  Union.  On  the  4th  of 
March,  18G1,  the  President-elect  was  inaugurated,  and  it 
became  evident  at  once  that  it  was  his  purpose,  and  that  of 
the  party  which  had  placed  him  in  power,  to  attempt  the 
forcing  of  the  retiring  States  back  into  the  Union  at  the 
point  of  the  bayonet. 

"Virginia  had  not  withdrawn  from  the  Union,  and  an  im- 
mense majority  of  her  people  were  strongly  opposed  to  this 
measm-e  as  the  wisest  and  best  means  of  seeking  redress  for 
the  W'rongs  the  whole  South  suffered  at  the  hands  of  the 
North.  "With  this  feeling  I  sympathized  with  all  my  heart. 
I  deprecated  what  then  seemed  to  me  like  'burning  the 
barn  to  kill  the  rats. 

"  The  newly  elected  President  issued  a  proclamation  on  the 
15th  of  April,  1861 — a  little  more  than  a  month  after  his  in- 
auguration— calhng  for  seventy-five  thousand  men  to  coerce 
the  retiring  States  back  into  the  Union.  Of  these,  Virginia 
was  required  to  furnish  a  specified  quota.  This  was  an  un- 
disguised declaration  of  war  on  the  part  of  the  general 
government  against  certain  States  composing  a  part  of  that 
government.  Virginia  now  felt  that  she  no  longer  had  the 
option  of  peace  or  war,  nor  any  option  between  a  war  of  in- 
vasion or  a  war  for  defence.  It  had  been  decided  for  her 
that  she  must  and  should  fight,  and  that  she  should  join  in 
an  invasion  of  her  sisters  of  the  South. 

"Her  decision  was  soon  formed.  As  she  must  fight,  she 
claimed  the  poor  privilege  of  deciding  whom  she  should 
fight.  So  she  promptly  withdrew  from  the  Union,  and 
placed  herself  on  the  defensive,  by  the  side  of  her  invaded 
sisters. 


A  Union  ]\L\n.  169 

"  Such  a  revolution  in  public  sentiment  at  once  occurred 
as  I  never  witnessed  nor  read  of.  Thousands,  nay,  tens  of 
thousands,  of  those  who,  up  to  this  time,  were  as  true  friends 
to  the  Union  as  any  government,  ever  had,  at  once  became 
its  enemies  The  flag,  for  which  they  would  have  died  on 
one  day,  they  would  have  shot  the  next.  Thus  the  war 
began. 

*'  I  am  not  now  concerned  with  its  history.  I  wish  merely 
to  leave  for  my  children  a  few  notes,  referring  chiefly  to  the 
sad  interest  my  own  household  has  had  in  it.  I  have  re- 
corded the  -sdews  which  determined  my  course  in  the  matter." 

"We  insert  here  several  letters,  written  during  tiie  war,  not 
only  to  show  his  course  in  the  matter,  but  because  they  re- 
fer to  certain  facts  of  much  importance  in  its  history. 

"Lexington,  Va.,  Dec.  13,  1860. 
"  To  THE  Rev.  John  S.  Watt  : 

"My  Deak  Brother  :  .  .  .  I  had  seen  Dr.  Palmer's  sermon 
in  the  Witness  before  your  letter  came.  Still,  I  thank  j-ou 
for  the  copy.  Dr.  Palmer  can  hardly  be  so  simple  as  really 
to  desire  the  breaking  up  of  this  great  confederacy.  He 
must  have  preached  thus  to  scare  the  Yankees  into  terms. 
.  .  .  The  fountain  of  all  this  evil  lies  deeper  than  men  of 
either  party  are  now  wilhng  to  confess.  The  addition  of 
territory,  the  influx  of  foreigners,  the  extension  of  the  right 
of  suifrage,  have  altogether  given  the  centrifugal  force  such 
an  ascendancy  over  the  centripetal,  that  I  fear  it  is  impossible 
to  keep  our  Confederacy  in  its  orbit.  And  then  abolition 
has  been  so  convenient  a  smut-ball  for  each  party  to  use  in 
blackening  each  other,  that  at  last  they  have  all  become 
blackened  together.  The  leading  men  of  the  country  are 
thoroughly  corrupt,  and  we  are  to  have  another  fearful  con- 
firmation of  the  doctrine  of  human  depravity.  Man  is  too 
great  a  sinner  to  govern  himself.  .  .  . 


170  A  Union  Man. 

"There  is  to  be  a  great  gathering  here  to-morrow,  and  I 
have  been  warmly  urged  to  speak.  Even  the  Federal  judge 
of  this  district  has  pressed  me  to  do  so.  But  no,  sir.  I 
will  not.  I  preach  now  on  such  texts  as  these,  '  The  *word 
of  God  is  not  bound';  'Be  not  afraid,  only  believe ';  'He  that 
ruleth  his  spirit,'  etc.  ;  'Let  patience  have  her  perfect  work'; 
'Your  adversary,  the  devil,  goeth  about,'  etc.  I  recently 
studied  and  sought  to  unfold  the  character  of  his  satanic 
majesty  in  full.  I  never  did  it  before.  I  wished  to  make 
the  people  acquainted  with  their  new  ruler.  So,  you  see,  I 
agree  with  you  as  to  his  present  preeminence  and  power. 

"But  keep  cool.  The  bursting  of  the  boiler  of  a  steam- 
boat would  be  as  nothing  to  the  explosion  that  would  occur, 

if  you  or  I  get  in  the  wa-ong  box.    Our  brother-in-law, , 

and  his  son ,  are  run-mad  secessionists.  The  seces- 
sion spirit  is  rising  and  spreading  in  Virginia.  Dr.  Junkin. 
roars  against  it  like  a  lion.  ..." 

"  Lexington,  Va.,  March  2,  1865. 
"  To  THE  Bev.  Wm.  Brown,  D.  D.  : 

"  My  Dear  Brother  :  .  .  .  .  You  gi-eatly  misunderstand 
me,  if  you  suppose  I  ever  intended  to  say  that  my  personal 
sins  had  not  had  their  share  in  provoking  God  to  subject  us 
to  the  horrors  of  the  war.  No;  most  sincerely  do  I  confess- 
that  I  have  sinned  enough,  in  all  the  relations  I  sustain,  to 
have  merited  all  I  have  suffered  or  may  yet  suffer.  But  I 
meant  to  say  what  even  now  I  repeat,  that  I  did  everything 
in  my  power  to  prevent  it  (the  war). 

"My  opposition  to  secession  was  so  decided  and  so  pub- 
licly expressed,  as  to  expose  me  to  no  little  personal  rudeness. 
A  prominent  member  of  my  church  took  such  offence  at 
something  I  said  from  the  pulpit,  that  he  rose  from  his  seat, 
and,  in  a  very  angry  tone,  loud  enough  to  be  heard  by  all 
who  sat  near  him,  denounced  me.     And  on  the  next  day  I 


Prime  Causes  of  the  AVar.  171 

told  that  another  man  had  said  that  I  must  and  should 
be  taught  to  behave  better. 

"This  occm-red  more  than  a  year  before  the  war  began; 
and  yet  I  never  did  behave  any  better;  for  as  late  as  the 
15th  of  April,  18G1,  I  made  a  speech  to  a  crowd  of  Union 
men,  advocating  theu'  views.  On  the  following  day  Lin- 
cohi's  proclamation  came,  which  I  then  regarded,  and  now 
regard,  as  a  declaration  of  war. 

"Thus  forced  to  fight,  I  claimed  the  poor  right  of  choos- 
ing whom  to  tight.  Necessity  was  laid  upon  me  to  rebel 
against  lilm,  or  my  native  State.  I  chose  the  former,  aJ^d 
became  a  rebel,  but  never  a  secessionist." 

"A  sort  of  madness  seemed  to  seize  upon  this  people  some 
thu'ty  yeai'S  ago,  \st,  In  regard  to  African  slavery;  and 
2ndi  In 'regard  to  the  unlimited  extent  and  populousness 
of  the  country. 

"As  to  the  first,  the  abolitionists  contended  that  African 
slavery  was  in  itself  an  unmitigated  evil;  or,  as  they  were 
fond  of  expressing  it,  'the  sum  of  all  abominations,'  and 
should  be  repsnted  of  and  abolished  at  once,  regardless  of 
all  consequences  both  to  the  master  and  his  slaves. 

"On  the  other  hand,  the  secessionists  contended  not  only 
that  this  relation  was  sanctioned  by  the  word  of  God,  but  that 
it  was  in  itself  a  great  s  )cial,  political  and  moral  good,  and 
as  such  ought  to  be  perpetuated  through  all  time  and  dis- 
seminated through  all  space. 

"Massachusetts  was  the  mother  of  the  former,  and  South 
Carohna  the  mother  of  the  latter  heresy.  By  these  extreme 
views  the  whole  countr}^  was  agitated,  nay,  torn  into  wTathful 
factions,  and  the  halls  of  the  national  legislature  became  bat- 
tle-fields, not  always  hloodhss.  The  two  great  political  pai'ties 
seized  upon  this  negro  question  as  one  well  fitted  to  be  em- 
ployed for  mere  party  purposes ;  and  as  such  it  proved  an 
instrument  that  bore  down  all  opposition. 


172  Prime  Causes  of  the  AYar. 

"As  to  the  second:  The  acquisition  of  territory  and  the  ex- 
tension of  the  right  of  suffrage  to  every  male  citizen  twenty- 
one  years  of  age,  weakened  the  centripetal  and  strength- 
ened the  centrifugal  forces  in  the  political  system.  This 
evil  was  fearfully  aggravated  by  the  influx  of  vast  hordes  of 
ignorant  foreigners  clothed  with  the  full  powers  of  American 
citizens  as  soon  as  they  set  foot  on  our  shores.  At  the  rate 
of  three  hundred  thousand  per  annum  they  poured  into  this 
country  for  some  years  prior  to  1860.  Ten  thousand  had 
been  known  to  land  in  New  York  in  two  days.  Of  these 
every  male  became  a  qualified  voter  at  twenty-one  years  of 
age.  Chieiiy  because  of  the  negro  population  at  the  South 
this  tide  emptied  itself  wholly  into  the  North  and  West. 
With  such  an  ascendancy  in  numbers,  all  of  whom  were  fired 
with  jealous  hatred  of  the  educated  and  high-toned  white 
13opulation  of  the  South,  nothing  but  a  miracle  could  have 
prevented  the  ruin  that  has  come. 

"  When  the  time  came  to  strike,  the  people  of  the  North 
found  the  constitution  in  their  way.  That  constitution  sanc- 
tioned African  slavery  in  the  South,  gave  the  negro  power 
at  the  ballot-box,  secured  autonomy  to  the  States  as  sovereign 
over  their  own  affairs.  But  all  this  was  at  once  ignored. 
The  negroes  w^ere  emancipated  and  enlisted  as  soldiers  by 
the  thousand,  and  State  sovereignty  set  aside  as  useless  po- 
litical trumpery.  Virginia,  that  had  given  several  States  to 
the  Union,  w^as  cut  in  half,  in  cold  blood,  as  though  she  had 
Ijeen  so  much  public  domain.  She  who  had  stood  as  a 
breakwater  between  the  two  sections,  using  every  legithnate 
means  to  avert  the  civil  war  up  to  the  last,  who  sent  a  peace 
commission  to  Washington,  with  an  ex-president  at  its 
head,  after  the  secession  of  some  of  the  States,  and  who  took 
up  the  gage  of  battle  only  because  she  could  not  bathe  her 
sword  in  the  blood  of  her  natural  allies,  was  drawn  and 
quartered  as  though  she  had  been  the  chief  offender. 

"But  I  have  wandered  from  my  chief  design.     The  war 


PRmE  Causes  of  the  War.  ,  173 

began  in  April,  180 1.  The  community  in  which  I  Uve,  and 
especially  the  church  and  congregation  to  which  I  minister, 
were  strongly  averse  to  war,  and  did  all  we  could  to  prevent 
it.  But  when  it  was  forced  upon  us,  with  a  unanimity  that 
could  hardly  be  exceeded  they  resolved  to  meet  the  issue. 
"Whatever  may  bo  said  of  otLer  parts  of  the  country,  it  is 
not  true  of  this,  that  the  people  were  drawn  blindfolded  into 
this  sad  work  by  the  politicians. 

'*'  It  so  happened  that  the  great  body  of  our  leading  politici- 
ans, I  mean  our  most  noisy  and  meddlesome  politicians,  sym- 
l^athized  with  South  Carolina,  and  had,  all  through  the  winter 
of  18G0  aud  '61,  striven  to  attach  the  people  to  her  cause, 
but  failed,  utterly  failed.  Indeed,  the  civil  war  was  very 
near  beginning  in  the  streets  of  Lexington  on  the  13th  of 
April,  1861,  between  a  handful  of  secessionists,  urged  on 
by  some  of  the  sort  of  politicians  described  above,  and  the 
mass  of  our  private  citizens.  J^ at  for  the  intervention  of 
Gen.  Tliomas  J.  Jackson,  blood  ico nil  then  have  been  shed^ 
a  fact  but  little  known,  yet  worthy  of  lasting  remembrance. 

"But  what  the  politicians  could  not  do,  despotism  could  do, 
and  did.  We  were  not  willing  to  join  South  Carolina,  but 
we  were  still  more  unwilling  to  assist  in  violating  the  con- 
stitution by  joining  in  a  war  of  invasion  waged  upon  a  sov- 
ereign and  independent  State.  It  is  wxll  and  personally 
known  to  me,  that  the  entire  mass  of  the  men  most  active 
for  the  Union,  in  the  commotion  raised  in  our  streets  on 
the  13th,  gave  themselves  to  its  overthrow  on  the  16th  of 
Apiil.  Not  an  effort  had  been  made,  by  speech  or  other- 
wise, to  bring  about  this  change.  President  Lincoln's  mes- 
sage came,  and  this  alone  wrought  the  mighty  change. 

"My  own  congregation  and  my  own  family  became  at 
once  deeply  involved  in  this  mighty  struggle.  The  invading 
forces  were  already  on  the  march  upon  our  northern  border. 
Thirty-five  communicants  of  my  church  and  thirty  members 
of  my  congregation,  not  communicants,  were  soon  in  the 


174  His  Congregation  in  the  War. 

ranks  and  on  the  weary  march  to  meet  the  foe.  Of  the  first 
were  two  of  my  o\Yn  sons,  the  oldest  commanding  and  his 
younger  brother  a  private  in  a  volunteer  company  composed 
almost  exclusively  of  the  students  of  Washington  College.  ^ 

"These  sons  were  soon  followed  by  our  youngest,  who 
entered  the  ranks  of  his  brother's  company  when  only  six- 
teen and  a  half  years  old.  This  boy  was  soon  followed  by  a 
foui'th.  The  eldest  of  the  four,  after  some  hard  fighting, 
was  compelled  by  ill-health  to  resign  his  commission  and  re- 
tire from  the  service.  The  younger,  who  entered  with  him, 
became  the  captain  of  the  company,  and  fell,  instantly  killed, 
August  30, 1862.  The  sketches  of  his  life,  referred  to  above, 
contain  all  that  need  be  said  of  his  career. 

"During  the  three  years  and  seven  months  now  spent  in 
this  war  my  church  and  congregation  have  furnished  one 
hundred  and  six  privates  and  officers.  Of  these,  seventy- 
three  were  communicants,  and  thirty-three  were  not.  Of 
the  members  of  the  church  twelve  have  been  killed,  two 
have  died  of  disease,  and  five  disabled  by  wounds.  Of  the 
congregation  six  have  been  killed  and  three  have  died  of 
disease.     Total  casualties,  twenty-eight. 

"Members  of  the  church  killed  are — 

Joshua  Parks,  William  Page, 

J.  B.  McCorkle,  WilHam  C.  Preston, 

Henry  Payne,  William  F.  Cocke, 

D.  G.  Houston,  Charles  Nelson, 

Alphonzo  Smith,  Joseph  Chester, 

Capt.  H.  A.  White,  Gen.  T.  J.  Jackson. 

"Members  of  this  church  disabled  by  wounds  are — 
Col  J.  K.  Edmondson  (arm  lost),      Capt.  Frank  C.  AVilson, 
Capt.  Frank  Preston  (arm  lost),       Thomas  D.  Houston, 
K.  K.  Estm. 


^  See  SketcJies  of  the  Life  of  Captain  Hugh  A.  White,  by  his  father, 
pp.  46-48. 


His  Congregation  in  the  AVar.  175 

"*' Members  of  tlie  cliurcli  who  died  of  disease  are — 
Dr.  Joseph  McCluug,  Samuel  M.  Lightner. 

"Members  of  the  congregation  killed  are — 

F.  Da^ddson,  Capt.  M.  X.  White, 

George  Chapin,  '   Capt.  Greenlee  Davidson, 

William  Patton,  Gen.  E.  F.  Paxton. 

"  All  these,  with  scarcely  one  exception,  were  men  of  irre- 
proachable character,  and  the  large  majority  were  men  of 
the  highest  social  position  and  moral  worth.  Their  names 
are  worthy  of  perpetual  remembrance.  Their  vacant  places 
in  the  house  of  God  are  sad  remembrancers  of  our  irrepara- 
ble loss. 

"  The  state  of  religion  in  the  church  since  the  w^ar  began 
has  not  been  in  all  respects  encoui'aging,  and  yet  there  has 
existed,  and  still  exists,  much  to  gratify  its  friends.  During 
the  first  three  months  a  daily  prayer-meeting  was  well  at- 
tended. This  was  afterw^ards  held  once  a  week.  The  sub- 
ject of  prayer  in  all  of  these  meetings  was  the  deliverance 
of  our  country  from  her  invaders  and  the  return  of  peace. 
The  places  in  our  church  made  vacant  by  the  absence  of 
those  in  the  army  were  more  than  supplied  by  the  presence 
of  refugees,  which  prevented  any  perceptible  diminution  in 
the  size  of  our  congregations  on  the  Sabbath.  Many  very 
gratifying  cases  of  conversion  occurred  among  our  young 
men  in  the  army.  These,  from  time  to  time,  came  home 
and  were  admitted  to  communion. 

"  For  a  year  or  two  after  the  opening  of  the  war,  a  spirit  of 
worldliness  seemed  to  seize  not  a  few  of  the  meml)ers  of  the 
church.  The  fear  of  poverty,  blending  with  both  hatred 
and  fear  of  the  enemy,  threatened  seriously  to  lower  the 
moral  and  religious  tone  of  the  church.  Speculation  ran 
high.  Some  who  had  been  leaders  in  church  work  became 
languid  and  remiss.  This  is  still  too  much  the  case.  Yet 
our  sufferin^fs  have  not  been  without  the  sanctiticatiou  of 


176  Effect  on  Currency. 

tlie  Spirit.  The  currency  has  depreciated  to  such  an  extent, 
and  the  tenm-e  by  which  all  property  is  held  has  become  so 
precarious,  as  to  restrain  some  not  under  the  influence  of 
higher  and  purer  motives.  It  seems  to  be  the  pui-pose  of 
God  to  lessen  the  love  of  men  for  money  by  rendering  it  al- 
most valueless. 

"  Gold  is  now  worth  thirty-fold  as  much  as  the  government 
currency.  And  as  everything-  offered  for  sale — even  the 
most  common  necessaries  of  life — is  held  at  specie  value, 
prices  are  fabulous.  I  paid  a  year  ago  $690  for  two  hogs ; 
more  recently  I  jmid  $2,000  for  a  very  ordinary  horse,  and 
$10  per  bushel  for  oats ;  and  am  now  asked  $400  per  ton  for 
hay  to  feed  him  on.  As  two  tons  of  hay  and  fifty  bushels  of 
oats  would  be  a  moderate  supply  for  a  horse  for  the  winter 
and  early  spring,  this  will  call  for  the  sum  of  $1,300  to  feed 
my  $2,000  horse.  Butter  brings  $6  per  jDound,  and  eggs  $3 
per  dozen.  Boarders  at  our  village  hotel  pay  $400  per 
month,  or  $4,800  per  annum.  Common  English  broadcloth 
brings  $250  per  yard,  and  an  ordinary  felt  hat  for  a  gentle- 
man $150.  I  have  just  hired  for  the  ensuing  year  a  very 
ordinaiy  woman  for  my  kitchen,  fifty-five  years  of  age,  for 
$600,  and  must  have  one  for  the  house  at  the  same  price. 
Firewood  is  $60  per  cord.  And  yet  every  one,  except  those 
who  live  on  fixed  salaries,  is  living  as  well  and  cheaply  as 
before  the  war.  Producers  purchase  what  they  need  of 
merchants  and  others  by  paying  in  the  produce  of  their 
farms  at  these  enormous  prices.  One  congregation  in  this 
vicinity  pays  its  pastor  one  hundred  and  eighty  barrels  of 
flour,  worth  $45,000.  This  enormous  sum  is  equivalent  to 
his  salary  before  the  war  of  $1,000,  or  rather,  the  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty  barrels  of  flour  would  have  been  worth  be- 
fore the  war  $1,000. 

"I have  passed  through  various  stages  of  feeling  since  this 
war  commenced.  The  anxiety  and  gloom  were  at  first  al- 
most intolerable.      The  vastly  superior   numbers   and  re- 


How  HE  WAS  Comforted.  177 

sources  of  the  North,  our  own  waut  of  every  element  of 
strength,  except  intelUgence  and  courage,  our  isolated  con- 
dition from  all  the  rest  of  the  world,  caused  by  the  blo(;kade 
of  all  our  ports,  made  me  very  doubtful  of  success.  When 
the  Secretary  of  State,  Mr.  Wm.  H.  Seward,  assured  the 
governments  of  Eiu'ope  that  they  would  easily  *  crush  the 
rebellion  in  ninety  days,'  I  partly  believed  him.  Through 
many  a  dark  night  I  lay  sleepless  on  my  bed  thinking  of  the 
mighty  hosts  they  could  pjur  into  Virginia  from  North  and 
Northwest.  In  this  conviction  I  would  think  of  my  soi:s  in 
the  army,  w^hose  presence  had  alwa3'S  contributed  to  make 
my  home  so  pleasant,  of  the  hardships  to  which  they  were 
exposed,  and  the  probability  of  their  death.  By  such 
thoughts  my  peace  of  mind  would  be  so  utterly  destroyed 
that  relief  could  be  found  onh^  in  prayer. 

"  But  time,  experience  and  a  deepening  conviction  of  the 
justice  of  our  self-defence,  and  above  all,  the  help  and  bless- 
ing of  God,  quieted  anxiety  and  fear,  gave  me  tranquillity 
and  peace  of  mind,  so  that,  for  three  years,  I  have  habitu- 
ally slept  soundly,  and  attended  to  my  duties,  bjth  social 
and  professional,  with  a  high  degree  of  satisfaction  and 
comfort.  God  has  been  a  present  help  to  me  in  trouble. 
Even  in  the  death  oi  my  son,  slain  in  battle,  who  was  all 
that  a  son  could  be  to  his  father  and  mother,  I  have  had  a 
very  s^veet  experience  of  G  jd  s  great  goodness  in  giving  him. 
to  us,  in  making  him  what  he  was,  and  in  taking  him  ta 
himself  just  idien  and  a^  he  did.  I  firmly  believe  that  he 
had  filled  the  allotted  measure  of  his  da^'S,  that  he  had  ac- 
complished his  mission,  and  answered  the  end  of  his  being. 
He  ardently  desired  to  preach  the  gospel,  but  his  will  was 
to  do  and  suffer  the  will  of  God.  Of  all  t-!ie  beautiful  and 
truthful  remarks  recorded  in  his  published  life,  none  are 
more  so  than  what  he  says  to  his  mother  on  the  forty-foui'th 
page,  viz. : 

"'God  in  his  providence  has  permitted  these  afihctions  to 
12 


178  His  Son  Falls  in  Battle. 

befall  us ;  and,  my  mother,  if  lie  rides  upon  the  storm,  if  he 
guides  it  to  j^lease  himself  and  accomplish  his  own  purposes, 
shall  we  murmvu'  or  rejoine  ? — shall  we  so  magnify  our  wishes 
and  j)lans  as  to  shut  him  from  our  view?  "What  if  our  de- 
sires and  piu'poses  are  thwarted  and  our  happiness  blasted, 
does  this  make  him  any  the  less  wise  or  just  or  good?  "What 
if  darkness,  that  may  be  felt,  gathers  over  us,  is  it  not  all 
light  with  him?  Could  we  catch  a  glimpse  of  God,  and  of 
the  blessed  purposes  which  he  is  carrying  out,  how  soon  we 
should  wipe  away  our  tears,  blush  to  think  of  our  murmur- 
ings,  and  run  with  glad  hearts  into  his  arms.  You  know 
how  your  children  used  to  do.  They  might  fret  and  cry 
when  their  plans  were  crossed,  but  when  they  found  they 
had  been  wrong  and  you  right,  how  gladly  did  they  run  to 
you,  and  love  you  all  the  more  tenderly  beca-use  you  had  in- 
terjDosed  3'our  better  wisdom  to  control  them.  Thus  should 
we  all  now  do  with  our  Heavenly  Father.  The  issue  of  all 
this  commotion  is  with  him.  He  will  certainly  bring  light 
out  of  this  darkness  and  joy  out  of  this  sorrow.  Weep- 
ing may  endure  for  a  night,  but  joy  cometh  in  the  morn- 
ing.' 

"  The  remnant  of  my  pilgrimage  on  earth  is  rendered  far 
more  lonely  by  his  early  death.  But  this  remnant  is  brief, 
and  its  termination  will  bring  me  into  joyful  and  never-end- 
ing communion  with  him  and  many  others  who  have  gone 
before." 

On  the  death  of  this  son  he  wTote  several  letters,  which 
we  insert  here,  in  whole  or  in  part,  to  show  the  state  of  his 
mind  at  this  time : 

To  the  Bev.  Dr.  Wm.  Brown : 

"Lexington,  Va.,  Sei^t  6,  1862. 
"  My  Dear  Brother  :    My  son  Hugh  is  in  heaven.     His 
body  perished  on  the  plains  of  Manassas,  on  the  30th  of 


His  Son  Falls  in  Battle.  179 

August — the  scene  of  his  heroic  bravery  more  than  a  year 
ago.  I  can  learn  nothing  of  the  particulars,  except  that  he 
was  killed  instantly,  General  Jackson's  adjutant-general 
writes  merely  this :  '  Hugh  was  killed  in  the  battle  of  Sat- 
turday.  He  fell  gallantly  leading  his  men.  I  sincerely 
sympathize  with  you  in  the  loss  of  a  son  so  faultless  as  a 
Christian  and  a  soldier.' 

"  This  is  all,  but  it  is  enough.  I  am  thankful  to  God  that 
I  had  so  costly  an  offering,  when  called  for,  to  lay  on  so 
sacred  an  altar.  I  am  now  more  anxious  than  ever  that  the 
object  for  which  he  has  sacrificed  his  precious  life  should 
be  attained.  .  .  .  But  his  redeemed  soul  is  safe,  and  I  look 
up  through  my  tears,  and  in  that  rejoice. 

"  One  of  my  kind  friends,  a  lady  of  my  church,  wrote  me 
a  consolatory  letter,  in  wdiich  she  says,  '  I  sorrow  with  you 
in  the  loss  of  as  noble  a  son  as  a  parent  could  mourn  for ; 
so  modest  and  respectful,  so  kind  and  earnest  and  honor- 
able was  he  always,  that  the  crowning  gift  of  piety  seemed 
only  to  add  lustre  to  a  character  already  so  good  that  I 
could  see  nothing  in  it  that  needed  to  be  corrected  or  re- 
formed. With  everything  to  render  him  dear  to  you,  a 
comfort  as  well  as  a  pride,  how  sad,  almost  hard,  it  seems 
that  he  should  be  the  one  taken  away.  And  yet,  while  y©u 
sorrow,  you  may  rejoice  that  God  has  thus  taken  to  himself 
the  best  you  had  to  give.  Oh !  how  little  Df  bitterness  there 
is  in  giving  back  the  good  and  pious  to  their  Father  and  our 
Father  in  heaven !' 

'*'  In  Hugh's  last  letter  he  says :  '  I  feel  more  and  more 
deeply  that  I  must  live  altogether  for  God  and  in  God.' 
My  heart  is  so  filled  with  sadness,  and  my  e3'es  with 
tears,  that  I  cannot  write  much.  I  accept  what  3'ou  say 
of  living  habitually  in  the  service  of  God.  This  I  have 
been  endeavoring,  though  imperfectly,  to  do  for  forty-three 
years." 


180  The  Negroes  and  the  War. 

To  the  same  : 

"Lexington,  Va.,  Rov.  19,  1862. 

"  My  Dear  Brother  :  I  feel  very  sensibly  the  need  of 
some  communion  with  you,  that  my  spirit  may  be  refreshed. 
The  times  press  heavily  upon  me,  and  my  faith  is  feeble.  I 
strive  to  look  through  the  cloud,  that  I  may  find  hght  above, 
which  I  cannot  find  below. 

"  It  seems  to  me  I  miss  my  dear  boy  more  and  more.  I 
miss  him  whenever  I  put  on  my  overcoat,  for  at  such  times 
he  always  helped  me.  I  miss  him  when  I  mount  my  horse, 
for  even  then  he  helped  me.  I  miss  him  when  I  pray,  for 
now  I  dare  not  pray  for  him.  I  shall  miss  him  till  I  die, 
when  I  hope  to  meet  him. 

"  This  hope  makes  the  expectation  of  death  pleasant,  es- 
pecially when  faith  is  vigorous.  But  alas  !  my  faith  is  often 
so  feeble  that  even  this  hope  affords  me  little  comfort.  This 
is  all  selfish,  however,  and  I  ought  be  ashamed  of  it.  Help 
me,  my  brother,  that  I  fall  not" 

"  The  people  of  the  North  profess  to  seek  the  good  of  the 
negro  in  thus  invading  our. soil.  They  seek  the  good  of  the 
black  at  the  expense  of  the  white  race.  They  demand  that 
th^y  shall  be  emancipated  and  placed  in  a  condition  of 
equality  svith  us — that  the  two  races  shall  live  socially  and 
politically  as  one.  To  their  emancipation  I  have  no  objec- 
tion, so  far  as  the  whites  are  concerned.  Since  I  possessed 
sufficient  intelligence  to  form  a  judgment  in  the  case,  I  have 
been  convinced  that  it  would  be  a  real  good  to  the  white 
man.  The  question  is,  what  shall  we  do  with  him  !  Can 
two  races  so  different  from  each  other  possess  the  same 
country  on  terms  of  entire  equality  ?  Must  not  the  one  or 
the  other  perish?  The  warmest  philanthropy  must  i^ause 
before  such  a  problem. 

"But  in  truth  they  have  no  special  fondness  for  the 
negro.     One  of  the  most  distinguished  men  in  the  State  of 


The  Negroes  ani)  the  War.  181 

Ohio  said  to  a  friend  of  mine,  '  Only  consent  to  wipe  the 
blot  of  African  slavery  from  our  national  escutcheon,  and  we 
shall  have  peace.'  M}"  friend  replied,  '  I  have  no  objection 
to  the  emancipation  of  this  people,  but  tell  me  how  we 
can  better  their  condition.  AVliat  shall  we  do  with  them  V 
*Do  with  them?'  replied  the  kind-hearted  philanthropist. 
'  Do  with  them  ?  Why,  hang  them,  shoot  them,  drown  them. 
I  care  nothing  for  them  ;  onli/  lolpe  out  this  blot.' 

"The  mayor  of  Eochester,  N.  Y.,  told  me,  in  1860:  'About 
fifteen  years  ago  we  adopted  measures  designed  to  drive  the 
negroes  then  here  from  our  corporate  limits,  and  to  pre- 
vent others  from  coming.  And  they  succeeded  well.  When 
those  measures  were  first  adopted  every  barber  in  the  city 
was  a  black  man.  Now  there  is  not  one.  Three-fourths  of 
our  cartmen  and  dray-drivers  were  negroes.  Now  the  num- 
ber is  very  small.  The  truth  is,  sir,  we  do  not  like  the 
negro.  His  presence  is  every  way  distasteful  to  us.  We 
have  three  reasons  for  preferring  white  laborers  to  black, 
namely : 

"  '  1.  The  white  man  will  do  double  the  work  in  the  same 
time. 

" '  2.  He  will  do  it  twice  as  well. 

"  '  3.  He  can  live  on  one-half  as  much  as  the  negro. 

"'You  know  and  like  him;  you  have  room  for  him,  and 
work  suited  to  him,  and  I  wish  you  to  keep  him.' 

"This  man  had  sense,  was  candid,  liberal,  just  and  gen- 
erous ;  so  I  replied,  '  Only  prevail  on  your  politicians  to 
adopt  3'our  sentiments,  and  all  danger  of  disunion  and  war  is 
over.  We  are  perfectly  willing  to  bear  the  responsibility  in 
the  sight  of  God  of  holding  them  in  their  present  condition 
until  we  can  prepare  them  for  a  better.' 

*'  But  I  have  no  heart  to  enlarge  upon  a  theme  so  hack- 
neyed, so  misunderstood,  and  so  misrepresented.  I  thank 
God  that  their  conduct  and  condition  in  my  congregation 
have  steadily  and  rapidly  improved  since  the  commencement 


182       No  Peace  in  the  South  for  Thirty-ffve  Years. 

of  the  war.  During  this  time  there  has  been  less  vagrancy 
and  insubordination  than  ever  before.  They  seem  to  appre- 
ciate their  dependence  and  their  obhgation  to  their  owners 
as  they  never  did. 

"  I  have  not  yet  abandoned  the  hope  that  God  has  some- 
thing better  in  store  for  these  people  than  their  abandon- 
ment to  the  tender  mercies  of  false  philanthropists.  Still, 
we  have  greatly  sinned  in  our  neglect  of  their  instruction. 

"  This  neglect  is  not  because  of  any  want  of  humanit}^  or 
even  of  true  affection  for  the  race.  There  are  monsters  in 
human  form  everywhere.  In  all  lands  there  are  husbands 
and  fathers  w^ho  maltreat  their  wives  and  children.  So 
there  are  masters  among  us  who  maltreat  their  slaves.  But 
the  prevailing  spirit  is  one  of  great  kindness,  showing  itself 
in  innumerable  ways.  Their  mutual  dependence  begets 
mutual  attachment.  I  could  fill  volumes  with  incidents,  oc- 
curring under  my  own  eyes,  illustrating  this  statement ;  but 
I  write  for  my  own  people,  especially  my  own  children,  and 
not  for  the  abolitionists. 

"  The  truth  is,  there  has  been  no  true  peace  in  this  country 
for  about  thirty-five  j^ears.  About  the  year  1830  the  pur- 
pose was  fully  formed  at  the  North  either  to  abolish  slavery 
in  the  South  or  to  exterminate  the  white  race.  To  this  end 
they  formed  extensive  combinations;  raised  large  sums  of 
money  ;  sent  out  emissaries ;  issued  books,  pamphlets,  news- 
papers, false  and  bitter.  They  spared  neither  pains  nor 
money  to  rouse  the  blacks  to  insurrection  and  bloodshed. 

In  the  summer  of  1830  they  succeeded  in  a  small  section 
of  Southampton  county,  Va.  Urged  on  by  one  of  their 
emissaries,  inflamed  by  their  incendiary  publications,  a  few 
were  induced  to  attempt  the  extermination  of  the  whites. 
In  one  small  section  they  succeeded  in  slaughtering  some 
seventy  persons,  chiefly  old  men,  women  and  childi'en. 
The  dastardly  Y(Uikee  preacher  who  had  been  chiefly  in- 
strumental in   exciting   this   insurrection  made  his  escape 


John  Brown's  Invasion.  183 

under  the  cover  of  night,  and  the  insui'gents  were  soon  van- 
quished." 

[Mr.  White  was  living  and  preaching  the  gospel  in  that 
part  of  Virginia  at  that  time,  and  writes  from  observation. 
AVe  have  often  heard  him  relate  orally  some  of  the  most 
thrilling  events  of  that  insurrection.] 

"  The  South  was  thus  a^id  then  thrown  on  the  defensive. 
Stringent  laws  were  enacted,  which  would  never  have  been 
thought  of  but  for  the  purpose  of  a  necessary  self-defence, 
and  for  which  we  of  the  South  incurred  the  reprobation  of 
the  North.  The  negro  was  restricted  in  his  privileges,  and 
the  vagrant  Yankees  who  prowled  through  every  part  of  our 
country,  impelled  by  avarice,  ambition  or  malice,  were  sub- 
jected to  no  httle  severity,  which  was  richly  daserved.  For 
almost  thii'ty  years  this  sort  of  war  raged  with  a  constantly 
increasing  violence.  The  halls  of  Congress  were  the  scene 
of  many  angry  and  shameful  collisions.  Civil  courts  and 
chui'ch  courts  were  at  times  thrown  into  a  state  of  confusion 
by  the  introduction  of  this  question.  Much  blood  was  shed 
by  the  opposing  parties  in  the  newly  settled  portions  of  our 
country — the  one  disputing  and  the  other  contending  for  his 
right  to  hold  slaves  in  the  territories. 

"At  length,  in  1859,  r.  diabolical  scheme  to  murder  the 
whites  and  liberate  the  blacks  was  put  in  execution  by  one 
John  Brown  on  the  border  line  between  Virginia  and  Mary- 
land, at  Harper's  Ferry.  He  had  been  preparing  for  this 
outbreak  by  importing  arms  in  large  quantities  into  a  deso- 
late valley  on  the  Mar)4and  side,  beyond  the  river,  and  op- 
posite  the  Ferry,  where  he  had  been  living  secretly  for  many 
months.  Besides  army  rifles  of  the  most  approved  pattern, 
he  had  many  boxes  of  pikes — a  blood-curdling  weapon  to  look 
at — consisting  of  a  wooden  shaft,  from  ten  to  fourteen  feet 
long,  with  a  flat,  pointed,  steel  head,  long  enough  to  impale 
a  human  body  of  ordinary  size,  and  a  guard  to  prevent  its 
penetrating  the  bed  on  which  the  sleeper  lay,  so  as  to  be 


184  John  Brown's  Invasion. 

difficult  of  extraction.  At  the  dead  hour  of  the  night  the 
negroes  were  to  be  armed  with  these  instruments,  set  to 
work  murdering  their  masters  and  mistresses,  marching 
southward,  and  receiving  recruits  as  they  advanced  into  the 
country.  A  more  cold-blooded  and  atrocious  plot  of  the  great- 
est magnitude  never  entered  the  brain  of  man  or  demon. 

"Of  course  it  failed.  The  emissaries  whom  Brown  had 
sent  before  into  Virginia,  ostensibly  engaged  in  different 
lawful  callings,  3'et  really  paid  to  excite  the  negroes  to  insur- 
rection and  prepare  them  for  his  coming,  failed  in  their  mis- 
sion. The  negroes  suspected  their  intentions,  and  refused 
to  enlist.  When  Brown  entered  the  Ferry,  and  began  his 
work  of  burning  and  blood -sheddinT*,  the  whites  rose  in 
arms,  surrounded  and  forced  him  and  his  band  into  a  small 
brick  house,  and  kept  him  at  bay  until  a  ^>o,>>\9e  of  men  from 
the  regular  army  of  the  United  States,  commanded  by  Cap- 
tain— afterwards  the  renowned  General — Robert  E.  Lee, 
arrived  on  the  ground,  arrested  and  turned  him  over  to  the 
authorities  of  the  State  of  Virginia,  by  whom  he  and  several 
of  his  associates,  after  due  trial  befoie  the  law,  were  banged. 

"From  even  this  very  brief  outline  of  the  warfare  waged 
upon  us  for  about  thirty  years,  it  is  not  difficult  to  see  why 
our  rulers  deemed  it  indispensable  to  impose  restrictions, 
both  on  masters  and  servants,  which  seriously  interfered 
with  the  duties  of  the  former  and  the  privileges  of  the 
latter. 

"Previous  to  the  inaugui'atian  of  this  state  of  things, 
servants  were  taught  to  read,  colored  men  were  licensed  to 
preach  the  gosj^el,  and  became  pastors  of  congregations 
of  their  own  race;  the  marriage  and  parental  relations 
were  respected;  they  lived  in  families,  had  family  worship, 
were  not  only  permitted,  but  urged  to  train  their  chilrh-eu 
and  govern  their  households  according  to  the  word  of  God. 
AVhen  a  boy  I  often  attended  family  worship  held  in  the 
bouses  of  my  father's  servants  and  of  other  servants  in  oui- 


i 


Genit-al  David  Hunter.  185 

neighborhood.  Then  the  white  and  colored  races  were 
friends ;  they  respected,  confided  in  and  loved  each  other. 

'•But  in  an  evil  hour  the  tempter  came,  and  the  scene 
was  changed.  If  we  had  been  let  alone  the  condition  of  the 
negro  would  have  steadily  improved;  public  sentiment  would 
have  turned  decisively  in  favor  of  a  gradual  emancipation 
under  the  influence  of  the  most  sagacious  minds  in  the  State, 
who,  in  pubhc  speeches  and  pamphlets,  were  already  advo- 
cating it. 

"  During  this  war,  which  is  now  near  the  close  of  its  foiu'th 
year,  the  negroes  have  remained  faithful  to  their  owners, 
except  in  portions  of  the  country  overrun  by  the  enemy.  As 
a  race  they  are  veiy  credulous.  Where  the  master  has  been 
forced  to  flee  for  his  life  before  the  foe,  leaving  his  home  in 
flames  and  his  family  impoverished,  the  negro,  believing  his 
pretended  friends,  has  gone  off  with  them.  In  this  way 
some  sections  of  our  State  have  beem  almost  depopulated  of 
both  the  white  and  the  black  man. 

"  In  June,  18G4,  the  enemy,  twenty  thousand  strong,  en- 
tered the  quiet  village  of  Lexington.  General  David  Hun- 
ter was  in  command,  a  man  whose  notoriety  among  our  peo- 
ple made  him  terrible  to  the  timid  and  detestable  to  all.  He 
seemed  to  riot  in  the  alarm  excited  by  his  presence  among 
women  and  children.  In  two  cases,  when  respectfully  ap- 
plied to  in  person  by  ladies  of  the  highest  refinement  and 
greatest  prudence,  for  some  protection  against  his  ruffian 
troops,  who  were  tramping  through  their  houses,  destroying 
or  bearing  off  their  food  and  furniture,  not  leaving  the  ap- 
parel and  bedding  of  their  infant  children,  he  replied  to  one 
of  these  ladies  with  a  brutality  that  would  have  disgraced 
a  savage:  'These  are  tho  natural  consequences  of  war,  and 
you  must  bear  them  as  best  you  can.'  To  the  other  he  said: 
*  I  know  your  father  and  brothers ;  look  to  them  to  protect  you. ' 

"Thus  encouraged,  the  work  of  min  went  on,  especially 
in  the  houses  of  these  two  ladies,  until  scarcely  a  morsel,  and. 


18G  The  Sacking  of  Lexington. 

in  one,  not  a  morsel  of  food  was  left,  and  scarcely  an  article 
of  apparel  or  bed-covering  was  left.  Several  other  families 
in  the  part  of  the  1?own  more  immediately  under  his  com- 
mand suffered  nearly  as  much. 

'•B}'  the  special  order  of  this  commanding  officer  the  Sab- 
bath day  Avas  spent  in  first  robbing  and  then  burning  the 
residence  of  Governor  Letcher,  the  beautiful  residences  of 
two  of  the  professors  of  the  Virginia  Military  Institute,  the 
spacious  and  tasteful  barracks  of  the  Institute,  a  large  flour 
mill  belonging  to  a  peaceful  citizen,  besides  the  large  ware- 
house owned  by  the  State  of  Virginia. 

*'  The  Institute  was  robbed  of  its  library,  containing  many 
rare  and  costly  volumes,  of  its  splendid  paintings,  and  last, 
of  a  bronze  statue  of  General  AVashington,  a  copy  of  that  in 
the  Capitol  at  Richmond,  the  pride  of  the  State. 

"The  splendid  residence  of  the  Superintendent  of  the  In- 
stitute escaped  destruction,  in  consequence  of  the  extreme 
illness  of  his  married  daughter ;  and  this  residence  is  now 
all  that  remains  of  that  once  beautiful  establishment — bar- 
racks, professors'  houses,  mess  hall,  hospital,  and  offices,  are 
all  in  ashes. 

"Washington  College,  endowed  by  'the  father  of  his 
country,'  w-as  sacked,  its  library  and  paintings  carried  off, 
the  rich  and  costly  furniture  of  its  public  rooms  either  given 
to  the  negroes  or  carried  as  trophies  to  the  North ;  nearly 
every  pane  of  glass  in  it  was  broken,  and  all  needful  prej)a- 
ration  made  for  its  burning,  which  was  prevented  only  by 
the  expostulations  of  a  gray -haired  trustee. 

"I  omitted  to  state  that  they  slielled  the  town  before  en- 
tering it.  Twenty  houses  were  struck,  some  of  which  were 
seriously  damaged,  and  two  were  ignited,  but  the  fire  was 
extinguished.  Six  shells  passed  over  the  parsonage,  one 
exploded  in  the  garden,  and  one  in  the  stable-yard.  But 
not  a  person  was  struck.     Many  very  narrowly  escaped. 

"  They  robbed  me  of  corn  and  hay  worth  $500.     They  cut 


Genera]^  Averill.  187 

the  curtains  from  my  carriage,  and  carried  off  a  portion  of 
the  harness.  A  well-dressed  and  well-mounted  captain  and 
lieutenant  attempted  to  rob  me  of  my  carriage  and  harness, 
but  were  prevented  by  the  sergeant  appointed  by  General 
Averill  to  guard  my  premises.  Last  of  all,  they  robbed  me 
of  my  favorite  horse,  'Charley,'  one  I  had  used  under  the 
saddle  for  nine  years — a  horse  almost  as  well  known  through 
the  couuty  of  Rockbridge  as  his  owner.  A  faithful  servant 
plead  with  the  robbers  not  to  take  'old  Charley'  from  'mas- 
ter,' urging  that  both  w^ere  old  and  lame,  and  that  Charley 
could  not  be  of  much  use  to  them.  But  the  pleadings  were 
all  in  vain.  It  is  not  wonderful  that  my  good  servant,  John, 
should  close  his  account  of  his  efforts  to  save  Charley  by 
saying,  'Master,  these  Yankees  are  the  beat  of  all  the 
rogues  I  ever  saw,  black  or  white.' 

"General  Averill,  commanding  the  Federal  cavalry,  acted 
hke  a  gentleman.  He  made  ever}^  practicable  effort  to  check 
the  robbers  of  private  propert}^  He  stationed  a  guard  at 
every  house  where  it  was  asked  in  his  district,  and  punished 
severely  in  my  presence  several  men  brought  before  him  on 
a  charge' of  spoiling  private  houses.  It  is  very  rare  that  I  at- 
tempt to  prophecy  either  on  high  or  low  themes,  but  I  did 
say  repeatedly  during  the  three  da^'S  of  army  rule  in  Lex- 
ington, 'Averill  is  altogether  t©o  much  of  a  gentleman  to  be 
permitted  to  hold  a  command  very  long  under  such  a  supe- 
rior as  the  brutal  Hunter.'  And  so  it  came  to  pass.  In 
about  two  months  from  the  time  of  their  visit  to  us  he  was 
reheved  of  his  command.  Notwithstanding,  the  opinion  was 
very  general,  both  in  their  army  and  our's,  that  he  was  the 
best  cavalry  commander  they  had. 

"I  moved  freely  among  their  officers  and  privates.  In  no 
instance  did  I  meet  with  personal  insult.  On  the  whole, 
they  were  respectful  and  polite.  In  my  first  interview  with 
General  Averill  I  told  liim  pjlitely,  but  firmly,  that  my  prin- 
ciples and  sympathies  were  all  with  my  native  South;  to 


188  Federal  Occupation  of  Lexington. 

whieli  lit!  promj^tly  replied,  '  I  am  not  surprised  to  hear  you 
say  that.' 

"I  scrupulously  avoided  all  general  conversation,  especi- 
ally on  the  war,  or  anything  connected  ^vith  it.  My  inter- 
course had  respect  wholly  to  securing  guards  for  defenceless 
families. 

"It  was  very  obvious  that  there  were  several  distinct 
parties  in  their  arm}-,  differiDg  widely  in  their  principles,  and 
much  embittered  towards  each  other  in  spirit.  Some  com- 
prehended and  appreciated  in  some  degree  our  position. 
Many  gave  unmistakable  proof,  not  only  of  a  want  of  true 
sympathy  wdth  the  negro,  but  of  strong  hostility  towards 
him.  The  general  and  his  staif  were  well  supplied  with 
these  people  as  body  servants,  and  the  exactions  they  made 
upon  them,  both  in  the  way  of  personal  attention  and  actual 
labor,  far  exceeded  anything  to  which  we  Virginians  had 
been  accustomed.  The  remark  was  often  made  by  officers 
in  my  yard,  '  I  am  not  fighting  for  the  negro.  I  would  as 
soon  shoot  a  negro  as  a  rebel.'  Such  men  dissuaded  the 
negroes  from  going  with  them. 

"  On  the  other  hand,  many  had  no  other  idea  of  the  war 
than  that  it  was  fomented  and  prosecuted  exclusively  to 
free  the  negroes,  put  them  in  possession  of  the  homes  and 
property,  and  make  them  in  all  respects  the  equals  of  the 
whites. 

"And  yet  again  there  were  many,  especially  foreigners, 
who  were  fighting  only  for  present  compensation  and  the 
prospective  possession  of  our  farms, 

"There  was  every  grade  of  intellect  and  character  among 
them,  from  the  gentleman  and  scholar  down.  Perhaps,  as 
a  whole,  they  are  shrewder  than  the  mass  of  our  army. 
But,  on  the  score  of  amiability  and  kindly  conduct,  good 
taste  and  good  manners,  as  far  as  my  observation  has  gone, 
their  common  soldiers  are  immeasurably  below  ours.  This 
is  true  also  of  some  holding  office.     The  most  unmitigated 


Federal  Occupation  of  Lexington.  189 

ruffian  I  ever  encountered  in  human  shape  Avas  a  man 
named  Berry,  captain  of  the  provost  guard,  who  at  the  be- 
ginning of  the  war,  as  I  learned  from  a  member  of  Averill's 
staff,  was  a  common  Ii-ish  hacknum  in  Baltimore.  A  recital 
of  his  brutalities  would  be  too  offensive  to  good  taste,  and 
too  painful  to  the  better  feelings  of  our  nature  for  record 
here.     Sooner  or  later  he  will  receive  his  reward. 

"I  was  several  times  compelled  to  move  through  large  and 
densely  crowded  portions  of  their  encampment,  even  on  the 
Sabbath  day;  and  I  record  with  astonishment  and  pain  the 
fact  that  I  never  saw  or  heard  of  a  chaplain,  nor  could  I  dis- 
cover that  a  hymn  was  sung,  a  prayer  offered,  or  any  form 
of  worship  observed  through  all  that  holy  day.  All,  too, 
were  idle,  except  the  very  small  number  deemed  necessary 
to  rob  and  burn  the  public  buildings — all  of  which  was 
done  on  the  Sabbath. 

"  I  asked  one  of  their  majors  if  they  had  no  chaplains. 
He  replied,  '  O  yes,  we  have  a  great  many ;  almost  one  to 
every  regiment.'  I  answered,  'I  am  astonished  then  that 
you  have  no  worship  to-day.'  He  replied,  'Our  chaplains 
are  not  of  much  account.  They  seldom  or  never  preach.  I 
have  not  heard  a  sermon,  or  even  a  prayer,  for  many  months.' 

"  After  they  left,  I  heard  of  three  or  four  chaplains  who 
inquired  of  some  of  the  ladies  of  my  congregation  for  me; 
said  they  knew  me,  had  met  me  at  the  North,  etc.  One  of 
these  seemed  to  be  enjoyi'ng  himself  at  9  o'clock  on  Sabbath 
morning,  standing  near  and  looking  at  the  flames  as  they 
consumed  the  private  residence  of  Governor  Letcher,  while 
Mrs.  Letcher  and  her  children  were  sitting  on  some  trunks 
which,  with  their  own  hands  and  with  great  difficulty,  they 
had  rescued  from  the  flames.  This  man  said  to  a  daughter 
of  Governor  Letcher,  'I  know  Dr.  AYliite  pretty  well,  and 
have  thought  of  calling  at  his  house  to  see  him;  but,  as  I 
learn  he  is  a  very  warm  Southern  man,  I  have  concluded  not 
to  do  60.'     All  of  them  seemed  afi*aid  to  encounter  'a  wai'm 


190  Federal  Occupation  of  Lexington. 

Southern  man,'  as  none  of  tliem  sought  my  acquaintance  or 
paid  me  a  respectful  call. 

"I  omitted  to  state  in  the  proper  place,  that  General 
Averill  made  his  headquarters  in  my  yard,  within  forty  feet 
of  my  study  door,  and  his  signal  corps  encamped  in  my 
garden.  This  was  a  great  protection  to  my  dwelling  and 
other  houses  in  the  yard,  but  this  protection  did  not  extend, 
as  I  have  already  stated,  to  m}"  carriage-house,  stable  and 
granery. 

"On  the  whole,  with  the  exception  of  the  buildings  burned 
and  the  robberies  inflicted  on  the  store-rooms  and  wardrobes 
of  many  families,  the  damage  was  as  slight  as  could  have 
been  expected  from  a  hostile  army  of  twent}^  thousand  men 
encamped  for  three  days  in  and  immediately  "around  a  vil- 
lage of  twenty-five  hundred  inhabitants.  May  it  please  God 
soon  to  terminate  this  cruel  and  unnatural  war. 

"  Such  are  my  \dews  of  the  folly,  weakness  and  depravity 
of  men,  that  my  expectation  of  good  from  any  form  of 
government  are  faint.  I  am  not,  nor  ever  have  been,  a 
secessionist.  Yet,  when  a  party  was  formed  at  tlie  North, 
which  became  large  enough  to  get  the  government  into  its 
hands,  which  did  not  scruple  to  sanction  the  nullification  of 
laws  of  the  national  Congress,  and  which  forbade  to  the  South 
rights  of  property  in  the  territories  guaranteed  by  the  consti- 
tution, whose  executive  called  for  Virginia  bayonets  to  impale 
the  bodies  of  our  nearest  neighbors  and  dearest  friends, 
the  time  for  rebellion  with  a  view  to  revolution  seemed  to 
me  to  have  come.  I  wish,  therefore,  my  children  to  know 
that  their  father  was  not  a  secessionist,  but  a  rebel,  an  hon- 
est, earnest  rebel.  As  such  he  has  suffered  much  and  may  suf- 
fer more.  Of  this  he  does  not  complain.  If  it  should  please 
God  to  frown  upon  the  effort  to  resist  such  injustice,  and  to 
subject  us  to  still  greater  sufferings,  nay,  even  to  subju- 
gation and  death,  he  may  do  no  more  than  he  may  justly 
claim.     Thus  has  he  dealt  in  other  lands  and  ages,  with  na- 


Demoralization.  191 

tioiis  nearer  and  clearer  to  him  than  we  can  claim  to  be. 
Though  mv  portion  should  be  poverty,  imprisonment  and 
death,  I  hope  to  be  able  to  say  with  a  tranquil  spirit,  '  Not 
iny  will,  but  thine,  be  done.' 

"For  myself,  by  the  help  of  God,  I  can  live  happily  and 
die  peacefully  under  any  form  of  civil  government.  Paul 
and  Silas  in  the  jail  at  Philippi,  with  their  feet  and  hands  in 
the  stocks,  under  the  iron  despotism  of  Ner*3,  were  prayer- 
ful and  joyous.  Our  blessed  Lord  himself  had  his  birth, 
grew  to  matiu'ity,  and  laid  the  foundation  of  his  church,  in 
equally  troublous  times.  Why  cannot  we,  the  citizens  of  'a 
kingdom  which  cannot  be  moved,'  carry  forward  the  work 
they  began  with  equal  joyousness  and  alacrit}^  ? 

"  The  whole  country  seems  to  be  sinking  into  a  state  of 
demorahzation.  At  no  time  during  a  ministry  of  thirty- 
eight  yeai'S  have  I  known  so  much  sensual  gaiety  among  pro- 
fessedly pious  people,  so  much  drinking  of  intoxicating 
liquors,  and  so  free  a  participation  in  promiscuous  dancing. 
The  present  winter  of  1864-'5  has  been  equally  character- 
ized by  suffering  and  sin.  Scarcely  a  family  can  be  found 
in  which  death  has  not  recently  made  inroad.  Many  families 
are  veiy  scarcely  supphed  with  the  commonest  comforts.  Au 
aged  widow  told  me  recently  that  all  the  corn  she  had  on 
which  to  sustain  a  family  of  eight  members  amounted  to  ten 
bushels,  for  w^hich  she  had  paid  five  hundred  dollars.  And 
yet  at  no  period  since  the  settlement  of  this  Valley  have 
there  been,  in  the. same  length  of  time,  as  many  gay  assem- 
blies. Crow^de  of  young  people  pass  from  house  to  house, 
with  Httle  to  eat  and  less  to  w' ear,  and  spend  the  entire  night 
in  dancing  and  revelry.  Soitow  and  suffering  in  themselves 
uniformly  make  bad  people  worse.  '  The  sorrow  of  the 
world  worketh  death.'  This  is  divinely  true.  The  state  of 
things  is  far  worse  in  other  sections. 

"Meantime  the  dangers  and  suffering  of  our  people,  the 
probabiHty  of   our   subjugation   by  our  enemies,   increase 


192  Demoralization. 

daily.  Five  or  six  of  our  most  important  cities  and  towns 
have  been  evacuated  by  us  and  occupied  by  the  enemy  with- 
in the  hist  few  weeks.  Just  now  a  force  is  api^roaching  us 
which  we  have  not  the  means  of  resisting,  even  for  an  hour, 
and  the  strong  probabihty  is,  not  to  say  certainty,  that  our 
lovely  valley  will  be  wholly  in  their  possession  in  a  very 
short  time.  And  jet  the  people  revel  with  almost  frenzied 
excess.  We  are  told  that  the  people  ate,  drank,  married 
•wives,  and  were  given  in  marriage  until  Noah  entered  the 
ark,  and  the  flood  came  and  took  them  all  away.  I  have  al- 
ways thought  this  was  a  modest  and  delicate  way  of  stating 
that  they  continued  their  social  reveliy,  their  feasting  and 
dancing,  until  the  flood  actually  came,  and  have  sometimes 
felt  a  childish  curiosity  to  know  w4iether  they  discontinued 
their  sport  on  the  hills  when  the  valleys  had  been  sub- 
merged. 

"  A  redeeming  feature  in  the  case  is  the  readiness  with 
which  the  people  contribute  to  the  support  of  chaplains  in  the 
army.  With  a  few  months  past  more  than  twenty  thousand 
dollars  has  been  paid  into  my  hands  for  this  purpose  by  the 
churches  of  Lexington  Presbytery — an  average  of  eight  hun- 
dred and  seventy  dollars  to  a  church. 

"  The  gaiety  of  our  people  in  the  midst  of  suftering  re- 
minds me  of  a  paragraph  in  Walter  Scott's  Review  of  the 
Friuch  Hevolution.  After  the  execution  of  Robespierre 
and  the  overthrow  of  the  Jacobin  party,  Scott  says :  '  Society 
began  to  resume  its  ordinary  course,  and  business  and 
pleasure  succeeded  each  other  as  usual.  But  even  social 
pleasures  brought  with  them  strange  and  gloomy  associa- 
tions with  that  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death  through  which 
the  late  pilgrimage  of  France  appeared  to  have  been  lain. 
An  assembty  for  dancing,  very  much  frequented  by  the 
young  of  both  sexes  and  highly  fashionable,  was  called  'the 
Ball  of  the  Victims.'  The  qualification  for  attendance  w^as 
the  havinof  lost  some  near  and  vahied  relation  or  friend  in 


Consolation.  193 

the  late  Reign  of  Terror.  The  hair  and  head-dress  were  so 
aiTanged  as  to  resemble  the  preparations  made  for  the  guil- 
lotine, and  the  motto  adopted  was  "We  dance  amidst  tomhs." 
In  no  country  but  France  could  tlie  incidents  have  taken 
place  which  gave  rise  to  this  association,  and  certainly  in  no 
country  but  France  would  they  have  been  used  for  such  a 
purpose.' 

"  This  occurred  soon  after  the  massacre  in  which  ten 
thousand  of  the  best  citizens  of  Paris  perished  from  the 
pikes,  sabres  and  clubs  of  assassins  within  a  space  of  three 
days,  in  addition  to  the  thousands  who  perished  on  the  guil- 
lotine. Scott  wrote  long  before  oiu'  time,  or  he  might  have 
coupled  us  with  France. 

"The  capital  of  Virginia  and  the  Confederacy  has  been 
evacuated,  and  the  enemy  has  taken  possession  of  it.  The 
officials,  both  of  the  State  and  Confederate  governments,  have 
lied,  and  the  reasonable  presumption  is  that  our  army,  now 
some  fifty  miles  from  Richmond,  will  either  capitulate  or 
evacuate  the  State.  Anarchy  begins  to  prevail,  and  danger 
and  suffering  increase  with  almost  every  passing  hour  The 
brief  vdew  I  take,  by  which  my  mind  is  kept  calm  and  tran- 
quil, may  be  thus  stated : 

"1.  God  can  deliver  us  from  our  enemies  if  he  will. 

"  2.  If  he  does  not,  it  will  be  best  that  he  should  not. 

"3.  And  if  he  does  not,  then  the  people  of  God  have 
greatly  the  advantage  of  those  who  are  not  his  people.  God 
only  knows  what  is  really  and  permanently  best  for  us,  and 
both  his  justice  and  merey  concur  in  assuiing  us  that  he  will 
order  or  permit  only  what  is  best. 

"  My  greatest  concern  by  far  is  for  my  two  sons  now  in 
our  army,  especially  the  younger  of  the  two,  who  is  the 
yoimgest  of  my  children,  and  of  whose  spiritual  safety  I 
have  no  assui'ance,  not  even  a  well-grounded  hope.  I  can 
only  say,  God  of  the  C(  )venant,  fulfil  thy  promise  to  be  a  God 
to  thy  people  and  their  seed.  Hearer  of  prayer,  hear  me> 
13 


194  Concern  for  his  Son. 

Tliis  dear  boy  was  brought  home  late  in  last  November 
badly  wounded.  He  had  gone  ahead  of  his  regiment  with 
only  one  companion,  when  they  were  fired  upon  by  the  enemy 
at  the  distance  of  one  hmidred  yards.  His  companion  was 
instantly  killed  and  he  wounded.  His  clothes  were  pierced 
by  seven  balls.  One  passed  through  the  calf  of  his  left  leg. 
This  w^as  at  Rood's  Hill,  Shenandoah  county,  Va. 

"  The  fondest  hopes  of  his  parents  and  friends  were  that 
so  signal  an  escape  from  death  would  result  in  a  change  of 
heart.  But  he  recovered  and  returned  to  the  army  wdthout 
giving  any  evidence  of  conversion.  All  I  know  now  is  that 
he  has  been  in  some  very  hard  fighting  within  the  last  few 
days.  Whether  he  has  escaped,  been  wounded,  captured  or 
slain,  is  yet  to  be  learned.  The  anguish  of  such  suspense 
no  language  can  express.  And  yet  I  hope  that  my  faith  in 
the  covenant  is  firm.  I  am  not  without  comfort.  God  will 
undoubtedly  do  w4iat  is  wisest  and  best,  and  to  know  and 
believe  this  ought  to  be  enough.  And,  then,  this  dear  boy  has 
been  the  object  of  concerted  prayer  by  parents,  brothers, 
sisters  and  friends  for  many  years.  Shall  not  some  of  these 
prayers  be  answered  ?     I  think  they  will. 

"The  tendency  of  human  nature  to  extremes  in  their 
opinions  and  feelings  was  never  so  apparent  to  me  as  at 
jDresent.  The  large  majority  tend  strongly  to  presumption 
or  despair.  The  former  seem  to  have  no  doubt,  the  latter 
no  hope  of  success.  Reverses  do  not  dispirit  the  former, 
nor  do  successes  cheer  the  latter.  Neither  can  explain  very 
satisfactorily  the  grounds  of  their,  hopes  or  fears,  and  it  is 
difficult  to  decide  which  is  the  more  unhappy  of  the  two. 

"  They  w4io  were  original  aiid  active  secessionists  belong 
chiefly  to  the  former  class.  They  made  so  many  prophecies 
that  have  not  been  fulfilled,  one  would  think  some  suspicion 
of  their  fallibility  would  be  forced  upon  them.  But  it  seems 
not.  Although  gold  is  now  worth  sixty-five  dollars  for  one 
in  Confederate  money,  flour  twelve  hundi'ed  dollars  a  barrel, 


Hard  Times.  195 

bacon  ten  dollars  a  pouud ;  although  a  poor  preacher  had  to 
pay  four  thousand  seven  hundred  dollars  for  a  very  ordinary 
horse  and  cow,  still  they  have  no  doubt  but  that  our  cur- 
rency -will  soon  be  as  good  as  gold,  and  the  Rn:d  hcn-se  and 
cow  sell  for  a  hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  In  many  cases  it 
taxes  charity  very  hea-^nly  to  give  such  people  credit  for  sin- 
cerity. But  many,  I  have  no  doubt,  are  thoroughly  sincere. 
*  The  wish  is  father  to  the  thought.'  They  belong  to  that 
class  who  are  described  by  the  poet  in  the  familiar  lines — • 
'  *  Hope  springs  eternal  in  the  human  breast; 
Man  never  is,  bnt  always  to  be  blest. ' 

The  latter  class  see  ruin  in  every  bush  and  hear  it  in  every 
sound.  They  were  never  well-informed  as  to  the  origin  of 
the  war,  and  could  never  see  sufficient  cause  for  it.  When 
once  commenced,  and  especially  when  our  enemies  became 
om*  invaders,  they  w^armly  espoused  resistance  for  self-de- 
fence. Nor  did  they  so  much  oppose  the  enemy  for  what 
they  did,  as  for  doing  it  without  constitutional  warrant. 
They  would  have  favored  the  adoption  of  a  constitution 
authorizing  all  that  had  been  done,  but  were  offended  be- 
cause the  enem}'  first  adopted  unconstitutional  measures, 
and  then  altered  the  constitution  so  as  to  bring  their  mea- 
sures into  harmony  with  it.  These  persons  felt  themselves 
forced  by  the  Washington  cabinet  to  rebel  either  against 
State  or  national  authority,  and  they  chose  the  latter. 

"Virginia,  as  a  border  State,  having  the  District  of  Co- 
lumbia and  the  national  capital  on  its  boundary,  at  once  be- 
came the  battle-ground  of  the  war;  and  although  victory 
often  perched  upon  our  banner,  although  the  invaders  were 
often  driven  from  our  borders  in  the  wildest  confusion  and 
with  ap2^alling  loss  of  life,  yet,  by  reason  of  their  superior 
numbers,  after  four  years  of  desperate  fighting,  they  have 
succeeded  in  getting  possession  of  much  the  larger  part  of 
oiu'  territory,  including  many  of  our  principal  cities  and 
towns.     Large  portions  of  our  richest  and  most  highlj'-culti- 


196  Hard  Times. 

vated  lands  have  been  swept  as  with  the  besom  of  destruc- 
tion. Our  finest  dwellmgs,  with  their  out-buildings,  our 
mills  and  churches,  have  been  reduced  to  ashes.  One  may 
travel  for  miles  through  what  was  once  our  most  populous 
and  prosperous  sections  without  seeing  a  human  habitation 
or  a  living  thing.  Such  ravages  have  filled  the  minds 
and  hearts  of  those  just  described  with  thoughts  and  feel- 
ings too  sad  to  be  borne  without  some  animosity.  And 
when  to  all  this  is  added  the  fact  that  few,  very  few,  homes 
can  be  found  in  which  there  was  one  or  more  of  suitable  age 
to  enter  the  army  out  of  which  one  or  more  has  not  perished 
in  the  conflict,  then  it  is  not  surprising  if  many  despond 
and  some  despair.  Several  of  my  own  acquaintance  have 
become  hopelessly  insane,  and  some  have  unquestionably 
died  of  a  broken  heart. 

"  Pressing  demands  have  been  made  upon  eveiy  pastor, 
as  well  as  upon  other  Christian  friends,  for  consolation  for 
such.  In  some  j^laces,  especially  in  the  larger  cities,  the 
2)reaching  has  been  too  much  of  a  war-like  nature  Minis- 
ters of  the  gospel,  in  some  cases,  have  erred  in  thinking  they 
were  called  to  rouse  the  people  to  a  sterner  and  fiercer  spirit 
of  resistance.  But  the  great  majority  have  abstained  from 
such  a  course.  '  Comfort  ye,  comfort  ye  my  people,'  has 
been  the  voice  chiefly  heard  from  the  pulpit,  and  to  the  great 
mass  of  God's  own  people  this  has  been  a  welcome  message. 

"  An  intelligent  lady  said  to  me  yesterday,  in  deep  dis- 
tress, '  It  seems  to  me  I  have  no  faith  at  all.  I  certainly 
have  not  enough  to  determine  whether  the  Lord  is  on  our 
side  in  this  war  or  on  that  of  the  enemy.'  I  replied  that  we 
had  no  warrant  to  decide  such  a  question  by  faith.  The 
Scriptures  tell  us  that  '  faith  cometh  by  hearing,  and  hear- 
ing by  the  word  of  God.'  Now,  the  word  of  God  gives  us 
no  information  on  this  question.  We  can  have  no  scrij)tural 
faith  on  the  subject.  But  this  word  is  full  of  instruction 
that  appeals  directly  to  our  faith.     For  example,  '  The  Lord 


Anxiety.  197 

God  omnipotent  reignetli ;'  '  The  very  liairs  of  your  head  are 
all  numbered;'  'A  sparrow  shall  not  fall  to  the  ground  "with- 
out your  Father ;'  and  '  All  things  work  together  for  good 
to  them  that  love  God.'  If  you  have  no  faith  in  these  words 
your  condition  is  deplorable  indeed.  If  you  have,  then  you 
may  be  comforted,  come  what  may.  This  simple  view 
seemed  to  quiet  her  mind. 

"  One  has  said,  'If  the  thing  prayed  for  is  not  in  the  pro- 
mise, it  is  a  sin  to  ask  for  it,  and  if  it  is,  then  it  is  a  sin  not 
to  expect  it.'  Faith  accepts  as  true,  really,  unalterably', 
eternally  true,  what  God  has  said,  and  this  not  because  it 
seems  reasonable  to  us,  but  simply  and  solely  because  God 
has  said  it. 

"  April  10, 1865.  Tidings  have  just  come  that  in  a  battle 
on  the  2nd  instant  our  youngest  son  was  captured.  We 
know  nothing  more.  How  taken,  or  where  he  is  confined, 
we  know  not.  From  him  we  have  not  a  note  or  message. 
Nor  is  it  likely  that  we  shall  for  many  a  weary  day.  '  Be 
anxious  for  nothing.'  And  yet  anxious  I  am.  The  whole 
of  my  brief  remnant  of  this  mortal  life  must  be  full  of  earthly 
sorrow.  But  comfort  in  God  may  abound.  For  this  I  fer- 
vently pray. 

"  Of  our  elder  son  no  tidings  whatever  have  been  received. 
For  his  safety  I  am  anxious.  GkI  of  the  covenant,  help 
and  deliver  thy  servant. 

"  April  15.  Both  of  our  sons  have  reached  home  in  safety. 
The  younger  escaped  as  by  a  miracle.  Surely  God's  good- 
ness calls  for  our  warmest  gratitude  and  praise. 

"  Our  brave  and  honored  army,  overborne  by  vastly  su- 
perior numbers  and  utterty  exhausted  by  continued  march- 
ing and  fighting  without  food  or  rest,  has  been  compelled  to 
sun*ender.  Our  capital  and  commonwealth  are  now  under 
the  heel  of  our  enemy.  Scarcely  a  doubt  exists  that  we  are 
to  be  a  subjugated  people,  ruined  as  to  all  political  power, 
and  sorely   straitened   for  a  time  for  the  necessaries   of 


198  End  of  the  "Wak. 

life.  But  tliese  things  are  not  paramount.  We  have  other 
relations  than  political.  I  am  a  husband,  father,  minister 
of  the  gosj)el,  as  well  as  citizen  of  the  State.  If  our  social 
and  religious  privileges  are  not  denied  us  we  can  endure  all 
else.  One  may  be  good,  useful  and  happy  under  any  form 
of  government,  provided  the  mind  and  conscience  be  free. 
True  religion  has  prospered  under  all  forms  of  civil  govern- 
ment. Our  blessed  Lord  can  surely  do  more  to  make  his 
people  permanently  happy  than  men  and  devils  can  to  make 
them  miserable.  Though  persecuted,  we  will  not  be  for- 
saken ;  though  cast  down,  we  wdll  not  be  destroyed. 

"God's  purposes  are  hidden  from  mortal  sight,  but  I  rest 
calmly  in  the  belief  that  these  purposes  will  move  steadily 
on  to  wise  and  beneficent  results. 

"The  fearful  struggle  of  four  years  has  ended.  The 
work  of  carnage  and  death  is  over.  Forced  back  into  a  po- 
sition from  which  we  sought  to  escape,  the  mortified  victims 
of  a  power  we  have  hated,  I  bow  reverently  to  God.  Ac- 
knowledging the  obligation  wisely  imposed  by  his  word,  I 
submit  to  'the  powers  that  be,'  because  they  'are  ordained 
of  God.'  I  make  no  further  record  of  these  sad  times,  ex- 
cept to  express  mj^  deep  and  painful  apprehensions  for  the 
future  destiny  of  the  negro  and  of  my  own  descendants. 
The  former  will  probably  waste  away  before  the  superior 
power  of  the  whites.  The  latter  will  be,  I  fear,  by  a  slow 
process,  amalgamated  with  their  conquerors,  until  they  cease 
to  be  recognized  and  applauded  for  the  noble  traits  that 
have  hitherto  distinguished  them. 

"For  myself,  now  at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years,  with 
many  physical  infirmities,  there  remains  but  little,  very 
little,  of  earthly  ill  to  fear  or  of  earthly  good  to  expect. 
The  time  of  my  discharge  is  near,  and  through  the  grace 
of  God  abounding  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  I  have  a  very 
comfortable  hope  that,  when  the  time  of  my  departure  shall 
come,  I  wiU  be  enabled  t  j  say,  with  the   apostle,  '  I  have 


End  of  the  War.  199 

fought  a  good  fight,  I  have  finished  my  course,  I  have  kept 
the  faith;  henceforth  there  is  laid  up  for  me  a  crown  of 
righteousness,  which  the  Lord,  the  righteous  Judge,  shall 
give  me  at  that  day ;  and  not  to  me  only,  but  unto  all  them 
also  that  love  his  appearing.'" 


CHAPTER    XIII 

1861-1865. 
The  Strife  Befoee  the  War. 

WHEN  Dr.  White  says,  "  The  truth  is,  there  has  been  no 
true  peace  in  this  country  for  about  thirty-five  years," 
he  is  supported  by  facts  well  known  in  the  South  in  his 
time,  and  brought  to  light  in  every  reliable  history  of  the 
abolition  moveroent  in  this  country.  The  sentiment  of  abo- 
lition did  not  originate  in  the  North,  as  the  ill-informed 
suppose,  but  in  the  South. 

The  first  newspaper  published  in  this  country,  whose  one 
avowed  object  was  opposition  to  slavery,  was  edited  by  Elihu 
Embree,  in  Jonesborough,  Tennessee,  under  the  style  of 
The  3Ianuniission  Intelligencer.  True,  Mr.  Embree  was  a 
New  Jerseyman,  but  the  supporters  of  his  paper  were 
Southern  people.  Its  issue  began  in  March,  1819.  From 
the  same  source,  in  1820,  an  octavo  monthly  began  its  career, 
under  the  title  of  Tfie  Emancipator. 

The  doctrine  of  these  papers  was  gradual  emancipation  by 
the  States.  Not  until  September  2, 1829,  did  William  Lloyd 
Garrison  issue  The  Genius  of  Univ€rs<d  Emancipation,  in 
which,  for  the  first  time,  the  poHcy  of  immediate  and  forci- 
ble abohtion  by  the  general  government  was  advocated,  and 
which  in  time  became  The  Liberator} 

The  first  societies  in  this  country  organized  to  spread  this 
sentiment  took  their  rise  in  Tennessee  and  North  Caro- 
lina.    As  early  as  1825  these  two  States  were  covered  over 

•  See  the  Life  of  W.  Lloyd  Garrison,  Vol.  I.,  p=  141.      The  Cen- 
tury Co.     1885. 

200 


The  Strife  Before  the  War.  201 

■wiili  them,  and  grjidual  emancipation  was  the  sentiment  of 
the  great  majority. 

The  legislation  in  the  border  Southern  States  was  mov- 
ing strongly  in  this  direction  at  a  very  early  day.  In  1821-'2, 
Mr.  Faulkner  introduced  a  bill  into  the  House  of  Delegates 
of  Virginia,  favoring  a  scheme  of  gradual  emancipation.  In 
the  discussion  of  this  bill,  Mr.  Moore  characterized  slaveiy 
as  a  "curse" — "the  heaviest  calamity  which  has  ever  he-y, 
fallen  any  portion  of  the  human  race;"  he  spoke  of  its  irre- 
sistible tendency  to  undermine  and  destroy  everything  like 
virtue  and  morality  in  the  community;  of  its  disastrous  ef- 
fects on  the  general  j^rosperity  by  making  agricultiu'e  degrad- 
ing for  the  whites;  of  its  check  upon  population,  and  its 
danger  in  case  of  invasion. 

This  sp3ech  was  endorsed  by  the  Richmond  Eiuiuirer ; 
and  the  Whij,  commenting  on  it,  asked,  "  "What  is  the  ques- 
tion of  who  shall  be  president — of  banks,  of  roads,  and 
canals,  of  tariffs — to  this?"  ^ 

In  this  same  debate  Mr.  Broadnax  boldly  asked,  "Is  there 
one  man  in  Virginia  who  does  not  lament  that  there  ever 
was  a  slave  in  the  State  ?" 

In  their  fifteenth  annual  report  (1832)  the  American  Col- 
onization Society  speak  of  the  "great  movement "  then  going 
on  in  Maryland  and  Virginia.^ 

Probably  the  most  noted  political  pamphlet  ever  published 
in  Virginia  w^as  the  Muffner  Pampldet^  which  advocated 
gradual  emancipation  from  an  economic  view  of  the  subject. 
This  pamphlet  w^as  signed  by  some  of  the  most  distinguished 
men  of  the  State,  and  reflected  a  sentiment  that  had  been 
growing  from  colonial  times. ^ 

Thus  we  see  that  the  movement  was  going  forward  with 
great  force  when  the  comiter  movement  of  forcible  and  im- 

^  See  NiW  Register,  January  21,  1832,  p.  378,  quoted  in  the  Life 
of  W.  Lloyd  Garrison,  Vol.  I.,  pp.  251-'2.     The  Century  Co.     1885. 
» Ibid.  3  25^^. 


202  The  Strife  Befoi^  the  War. 

mediate  abolition  by  the  general  government  was  initiated. 
On  this  doctrine  the  abolition  party  was  formed.  It  spread 
with  great  rajDidity.  Their  organization  was  extended  "at 
the  rate  of  nearly  one  new  society  a  day." ' 

State  societies  were  formed ;  newspapers  published;  books 
and  tracts,  stigmatizing  slaveholders  with  the  most  oppro- 
brious epithets,  scattered  broadcast  over  the  land;  wood-cuts- 
of  the  most  horrible  kind  were  secretly  put  into  the  hands 
of  the  blacks,  as  Senator  Benton  said  in  1835,  "to  intlame 
the  passions  of  the  slaves."^ 

So  wide-spread  was  the  circulation  of  these  incendiary  pub- 
lications, and  so  dangerous  their  tendency  to  incite  insurrec- 
tion among  the  slaves,  that  President  Andrew  Jackson,  in  his 
Message  to  Congress,  December  7,  1835,  introduced  the  sub- 
ject, suggesting  "the  propriety  of  passing  such  a  law  as  will 
prohibit,  under  severe  penalties,  the  circulation  in  the  South- 
ern States,  through  the  mail,  of  incendiary  publications  in- 
tended to  instigate  the  slaves  to  insurrection."  In  this  same 
year  Mr.  John  C.  Calhoun  introduced  in  Congress  a  bill 
making  it  a  penal  offence  for  postmasters  "knowingly  to  de- 
liver to  any  person  whatever  any  pamphlet,  newspaper, 
handbill,  or  other  printed  paper  or  pictorial  represejiUition^ 
toucliing  the  subject  of  slavery,  where,  by  the  laws  of  said 
State,  district,  or  territory,  their  circulation  was  jDrohibited."^ 

The  abolitionists,  moreover,  invaded  the  South  with  school- 
masters and  school-mistresses,  who  secretly  fanned  the  flame 
of  insurrection  among  the  negroes,  and  with  travelling  ven- 
ders of  different  articles  of  merchandise,  who  did  likewise. 

In  these  and  numerous  other  ways  insurrections  were  ac- 
tually excited  in  the  South,  in  one  of  which,  in  Southamp- 
ton county,  Virginia,  August,  1831,  fifty-five  whites  were 
mui'dered  outright.     As  Dr.  White  says,  this  was  the  work 

1  Life  of  W.  Lloyd  Oarrison,  Vol.  II,,  p.  79. 

-  Thirty  Yeirs'  Vie  id,  i.,  577. 

'^Ihicl,  i.,  586  ;  Lifeof^Y.  Lloyd  Garrison,  Vol.  L,  p.  232. 


The  Strife  Before  the  War.  203 

chiefly  of  a  Yankee  school-master;  and  John  Brown's  right- 
hand  man,  John  E.  Cook,  was  also  a  school-master  in  Vir- 
ginia while  preparing  for  that  insurrection. 

Not  content  with  all  this  mischief-making  at  home,  the 
abolitionists  strove  to  excite  the  animosity  of  Europeans 
against  the  South,  and  succeeded  in  rendering  slaveholders 
a  by- word  and  a  hissing  in  many  countries.  They  even  at- 
tempted to  prevail  on  the  Free  Church  of  Scotland  to  de- 
clare slaveholding  a  ground  of  exclusion  from  the  sacraments 
of  the  church,  which  Dr.  Chalmers  characterized  as  a  "new  and 
factious  principle  of  administration,  f(3r  which  she  can  see  no 
authority  in  Scripture,  and  of  which  she  can  gather  no  traces 
in  the  history  or  practice  of  the  chiu'ches  in  apostolic  times."  ^ 

Of  course  the  Southern  people  resented  all  this.  The 
work  of  gradual  emancipation  b}^  the  States,  which  was  popu- 
lar throughout  the  South,  and  was  landing  emigrants  in 
Liberia  by  the  hundreds,  was  suddenly  arrested:  the  news- 
papers took  the  matter  in  hand ;  books  and  pamphlets  were 
WTitten  mass-meetings  were  held  to  denounce  abolitionism; 
platform  speeches  were  made;  vigilance  committees  organ- 
ized to  keep  a  lookout  for  dangerous  emissaries ;  bills  passed 
by  legislatures  to  prevent  the  circulation  of  seditious  w  rit- 
ings;  the  help  of  Congress  invoked,  as  we  have  seen,  and 
the  supreme  court  ax3i)ealed  to. 

And  so  a  war  of  words  raged  throughout  North  and  South 
on  the  hues  of  public  travel,  in  public  houses,  in  churches, 
by  the  family  fireside ;  the  halls  of  legislation,  national  and 
State,  became  avenues  in  which  rencounters  took  place,  not 
always  bloodless;  negro  riots  occurred;  the  mails  were 
rifled  and  contents  burned  pubhcly  in  the  streets ;  scaffolds 
were  erected  on  which  to  hang  the  disturbers  of  the  public 
peace;  prominent  men  were  mobbed  in  different  cities;  and 
school-books  were  changed  to  suit  the  prevalent  ideas  of  the 
sections. 

»  See  Life  of  Dr.  GMlmers,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  571.      Harper  «fc  Bros.      1852. 


204  The  Strife  Before  the  War. 

Thus  the  strife  went  on,  waxing  more  and  more  fierce, 
until  actual  hostilities  with  arms  began  in  18G1.  The  lan- 
guage of  Dr.  White — "there  has  been  no  peace  in  this 
country  for  about  thirty-five  years  " — is  in  strict  accordance 
with  fact. 

AYhile  acting  as  General  Agent  for  the  American  Tract 
Society  in  Virginia  he  was  sent,  in  the  spring  of  1835,  to 
New  York  and  Boston  to  attend  a  convention  of  those  inter- 
ested in  the  tract  work.  In  a  diary  kept  at  the  time  by  hnn 
we  find  some  notes  bearing  on  this  subject.  After  the  lapse 
of  fifty-five  years,  in  which  time  the  greatest  event  in  the 
history  of  the  United  States  has  taken  place,  "the  war  be- 
tween the  States,"  and  the  emancipation  of  the  slaves,  these 
notes  will  interest  the  thoughtful  reader,  the  irore  so  be- 
cause, on  a  fly-leaf  of  this  diary,  we  find  the  following  post- 
script, written  near  the  close  of  the  war,  October  6,  1 SG4 : 
"The  views  herein  expressed  of  slavery  and  abolitionism 
have  undergone  no  material  change  when  now  the  terrible 
civil  war  predicted  in  this  paper  is  actually  upon  us." 

The  notes  in  the  diary  read  as  follows :  "  Of  all  the  new  and 
extravagant  things  at  the  North,  nothing  can  equal  the  fu- 
rious and  fiery  spirit  of  the  abolitionists.  .  .  .  Avowing  the 
purest  benevolence  for  the  colored  race,  they  exhibit  a  spirit 
towards  those  of  their  own  color  both  violent  and  reckless. 
One  of  them,  and  he  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  told  me  he 
was  ready  at  any  time  to  shoulder  his  musket  and  march 
against  his  w^hite  brethren  of  the  South.  .  .  .  This  man  was 
city  missionary  in  Boston.  Another  told  me  that  no  man 
was  under  any  obligation  to  pay  debts  which  had  been  con- 
tracted under  the  slavery  system ;  that  no  citizen  of  Vir- 
ginia was  under  the  slightest  obligation  to  obey  those  laws 
which  were  designed  to  regulate  slavery,  and  that  the  con- 
stitution of  the  United  States  was  an  iniquitous,  a  bloody 
compact. 

"This  man  I  convicted  in  a  public  company  of  having  once 


The  Strife  Before  the  War.  205 

sold  slaves  to  a  cousiderable  amoimt,  and  of  travelling  at 
that  moment  to  make  fiery  abolition  speeches  on  the  pro- 
ceeds of  those  very  sales.  This  man  is  the  notorious  James 
G.  Birney,  of- Kentucky,  once  a  respectable  lawyer,  a  highly 
reputable  citizen,  a  kind-hearted,  benevolent  and  chaii- 
table  neighbor  and  friend.  At  an  unhappy  hour  he  had 
imbibed  the  sentiments  and  spirit  of  this  cut-throat  crew, 
and  in  a  moment  all  rational  and  consistent  benevolence  and 
charity  forsook  his  breast,  and  now  nothing  is  left  but  an 
undefined  and  undefinable  sort  of  compassion  for  the  blacks, 
with  a  hatred  for  those  of  his  own  color  which  nothing  can 
satisfy  short  of  their  blood. 

"  Indeed,  the  whole  party  seem  literally  to  riot  in  the  an- 
ticipation of  soon  witnessing  the  utter  extermination  of  the 
whole  slave-holding  population,  and  of  the  establishment  in 
their  place  of  the  blacks.  It  reaUy  seems  to  me  that  a 
black  skin,  covering  any  sort  of  a  heart,  is  the  only  siu'e 
passport  to  their  confidence  and  kind  feelings. 

"  This  party,  however,  constitutes  a  small  portion  of  the 
population.  Pubhc  sentiment  is  violently  enhsted  against 
them.  No  religious  society  in  Boston  will  allow  them  the 
use  of  their  house  of  worship,  nor  will  the  civil  authority 

grant  them  the  use  of  any  of  theu'  public  buildings 

Upon  the  whole,  I  love  my  Northern  brethren  all  the  better 
since  seeing  them  in  their  own  houses.  And  the  more  I 
love  them  the  more  I  hate  abolitionism  as  such,  which,  in 
my  eyes,  is  as  a  black  wart  standing  out  upon  a  comely  and 
attractive  face. 

"  The  Bostonians  are  not  satisfied  with  treating  me  kindly. 
They  have  given  me  six  hundred  and  twenty-five  dollars  for 
the  Society  in  whose  service  I  am  travelling,  and  that,  too, 
without  my  asking  for  it. 

"  The  Yankees  are  a  noble  race.  But  I  am  not  writing  a 
book.  I  am  merely  recordin^^  a  few  memoraiidd  for  the 
amusement  of  my  children  when  I  am  taken  away." 


206  A  Theilling  Incident. 

As  a  specimen  of  Dr.  White's  graphic  style  of  narraliorj, 
•we  coj)y  from  the  diary  the  following  incident :  "  On  my  re- 
turn from  this  delightful  meeting  one  of  those  incidents 
occurred  which  serve  to  remind  us  forcibly  of  our  utter  de- 
pendence on  God  and  of  our  constant  exposure  to  death.  I 
had  taken  my  seat  with  the  stage-driver,  that  I  might  have 
an  opportunity  to  converse  with  him  about  his  peculiar 
duties  as  a  professing  Christian,  he  being  a  member  of  our 
church.  We  reached  the  Eivanna,  which  we  were  to  cross 
in  a  ferry-boat.  A  gentleman  and  lady  were  all  who  were 
in  the  stage. 

"  Before  entering  the  boat  the  gentleman  left  the  stage, 
deeming  it  unsafe  to  pass  the  river  in  so  confined  a  situation. 
The  lady  and  myself  retained  our  seats,  she  in  the  stage  and 
I  with  the  driver.  The  horses  entered  the  boat  rather  too 
precipitately,  so  that,  as  the  foremost  vs^ieels  of  the  stage 
struck  the  boat,  its  moorings  gave  way,  a:id  off  went  the 
boat  down  stream,  the  horses  being  on  board  and  the  stage 
in  the  water.  I  kept  my  seat  until  the  hind  feet  of  the 
"wheel  horses  losing  their  hold,  the  poor  animals  slided 
slowly  into  the  water,  holcling  to  the  end  of  the  boat  with 
their  fore  feet. 

"  The  water  now  began  to  pour  through  the  boot  of  the 
driver's  box,  and  the  stage  was  so  completely  filled  with 
w^ater  that  there  was  barely  room  above  its  surface  for  the 
lady's  head.  I  saw  that,  in  an  instant  more,  we  must  lose 
all  hold  upon  the  boat,  and  that  the  stage,  horses,  jjassen- 
gers  and  all  must  be  precipitated  into  the  stream  together. 
!For  my  own  part  I  decidedly  preferred  taking  the  water 
[Dr.  White  was  a  lame  man],  so  I  sprang  into  the  river  and 
easily  swam  to  the  shore  we  had  just  left. 

"  I  had  scarcely  left  my  seat  when  what  I  had  anticipated 
occurred,  horses,  stage,  driver  and  lady  all  came  with  a  tre- 
mendous splash  immediately  behind  me.  The  horses  fell 
with  so  much  regularity,  and  so  untrammeled  by  the  har- 


A  Thrilling  Incident.  207 

ness,  that  they  instantly  recovered  and  swam  with  amazing 
spirit  towards  the  opposite  shore 

"  Several  times  the  top  of  the  stage  could  scarcely  be  seen 
above  the  water.  The  driver  kept  his  seat  and  the  lady 
her's.  Wo  utterly  abandoned  all  hope  of  their  escaping  a 
water}'  grave.  Several  boats  were  sent  out  to  meet  the 
stage,  but  no  regard  was  paid  to  this  proffered  help.  In 
truth  there  was  no  time  to  try  experiments. 

"It  was  a  scene  truly  sublime  and  almost  overpowering 
to  the  spectators.  I  had  swam  until  I  reached  the  muddy 
bottom,  when  I  immediately  turned  to  see  what  had  become 
of  my  companions  in  danger.  I  stood  all  the  time  up  to  my 
waist  in  water,  too  much  concerned  about  the  result  to  go 
ashore. 

''  The  driver  had  the  precaution  to  give  the  horses  the 
reins  entirely,  and,  sitting,  whip  in  hand,  he  gave  them  the 
lash  freely  as  they  arose  above  the  water,  until  at  length,  to 
the  amazement  and  joy  of  all,  the}'  reached  the  opposite  shore 
in  perfect  safety.  Surely  the  Lord  compasseth  our  path  at 
all  times." 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

1866-1871. 

Health  Fails.  — Offeks  his  Eesigxation  to  the  Session  ;  Declined, 
AND  AN  Offer  of  Support  for  an  Assistant  made,  Provided  his 
Health  not  Restored  by  Eest.  — Corresponds  fob  Assistant.  — 
Health  not  being  Restored,  Insists  on  Resigning.  — Action  of 
the  Congregation.  — Becomes  Principal  of  the  Ann  Smith  Acad- 
emy.— Letter  to  Rev.  John  S.  "VVatt. — A  Touching  Sight. — The 
School  Succeeds. — Resigns. — Letter  op  the  Trustees  Accept- 
ing. 

"  Howe'er  it  be,  it  seems  to  me 
'Tis  only  noble  to  be  good  ; 
Kind  hearts  are  more  than  coronets, 
And  simple  faith  than  Nordaian  blood." 

"  ^OVEMBER  2, 1866.  Maladies  which  have  disturbed  me 
■^^  for  more  than  two  years  have  at  last  resulted  in  a  total 
suspension  of  my  ministry.  Enfeebled  in  body  and  mind, 
wholly  incapacitated  for  labor,  I  have  been  compelled  to  re- 
tire from  the  pulpit.  The  chief  source  of  my  sufferings  is 
my  throat.  For  more  than  thirty-nine  years  I  have  preached 
in-doors  and  out,  at  every  season  and  in  all  states  of  the 
weather.  I  have  often  preached  twice  a  day  for  two  weeks, 
and  have  never,  until  now,  suffered  in  the  least  degree  from 
my  voice  or  limgs.  But  suddenly  the  evil  has  come  upon 
me.  For  more  than  a  year  I  have  had  a  troublesome  cough, 
attended  by  great  debility.  I  preached  regularly  twice  on 
the  Sabbath,  and  lectured  one  evening  in  the  week,  with  no 
other  inconvenience  than  great  prostration  after  each  service. 
"Still,  as  I  did  not  improve  while  at  work,  I  tendered  my 
resignation  to  the  session.  It  was  promptly  and  unani- 
mously declined,  and  a  resolution  adopted  with  equal 
promptitude  and  unanimity  exempting  me  from  all  profes- 
sional duties,  both  public  and  private,  until  January  1,  1867, 

208 


Health  Tails.  20 J) 

meantime  coutinuiug  my  salary,  and  pledging  themselves  to 
provide  a  substitute  for  the  pulpit,  and  to  supply  my  place 
themselves  in  visiting,  and  otherwise  superintending  the 
congregation.  They  moreover  avowed,  -without  a  dissenting 
voice,  that  if,  Avlieu  the  first  of  January  came,  I  was  stiil  un- 
able to  resume  my  duties,  an  adequate  salar}^  should  be  con- 
tinued, while  no  duty  would  be  required  but  such  as  I  could 
perform  in  my  study ;  aud  that  they  would  proceed  to  call  a 
collegiate  pastor,  for  whose  support  they  would  provide,  in 
addition  to  my  own.  This  was  more  than  just;  it  was  emi- 
nently generous.  ]My  heart  filled,  and  I  could  not  restrain 
tears  of  gratitude.  The  abuse  of  the  wicked  can  be  endured 
with  calmness,  but  such  kindness  from  God's  people  almost 
breaks  my  heart. 

"I  am,  therefore,  now  wholly  laid  aside.  For  almost  forty 
3"ears  God  called  me  to  speak,  and  now,  with  equal  distinct- 
ness, he  calls  me  to  be  silent.  Surely  I  should  yield  to  the 
one  as  jjromptly  and  cheerfully  as  the  other.  In  great  mercy 
he  has  given  me  two  sons  who  occup}^  important  positions  as 
heralds  of  the  same  blessed  gospel  which  I  have  so  long  pro- 
claimed. This  is  a  great  comfort  to  me,  and  helps  me  to 
*be  still  and  know  that  he  is  God.' 

' '  All  my  symptoms,  however,  are  better.  My  general  health 
has  improved  very  mucli.  Tlie  soreness  of  the  throat  \uift 
ceased.  My  voice  is  clearer  and  stronger,  and  the  cough  has 
lessened. 

"I  desire  to  wait  jDatiently  upon  God,  and  to  have  my  'ex- 
pectation from  him,'  'The  Lord  is  my  light  and  my  salva- 
tion; whom  shall  I  fearf  The  Lord  is  the  strength  of  my 
life ;  of  whom  shall  I  be  afraid  ?  For  in  the  time  of  trouble 
he  shall  hide  me  in  his  j)aviHon."' 

Dr.  White  laid  down  his  -pen  at  this  point;  nor  did  he 
ever  take  it  up  again  to  write  another  line  of  "notes"  on  his 
life,  although  he  hved  six  years  longer,  and  wrote  on  other 


210  His  Iaesignation  Declined. 

matters.  He  seems  to  liave  eousidered  his  life  as  virtually 
ended  by  his  retirement  from  regular,  professional  work. 
The  com'se  pursued  by  the  church  was  not  what  he  expected, 
and  he  doubtless  decided  in  his  own  mind  that  the  interests 
of  all  concerned  required  little,  if  anything,  to  be  said  about 
it  at  the  time. 

We  have  gathered  from  his  correspondence  and  from  the 
minutes  of  the  session  of  the  Lexington  Church  all  the  facta 
necessary  to  complete  the  record  of  his  life. 

We  have  seen  from  his  "notes"  that  the  session  declined 
his  resignation  w^hen  it  was  first  offered,  and  gave  him  a  va- 
cation of  several  months.  In  a  letter  to  his  son  George, 
dated  October  29,  1866,  he  makes  a  minute  statement  of 
this  action  of  the  session,  viz. : 

"  The  session  had  a  full  meeting  a  week  ago,  and  resolved 
to  discharge  me  from  eveiy  professional  duty,  in  pubhc  and 
in  private,  until  the  first  of  January  next,  meantime  continu- 
ing to  me  my  full  salary.  .  .  .  The  session  also  agreed  that 
'  if  my  health  was  not  restored  on  the  first  of  January,  then 
to  continue  to  me  a  salary  of  $1,000,  requiring  of  me  no  duty 
but  such  as  I  could  render  in  my  study,  and  that  they 
would  then  proceed  to  call  a  collegiate  pastor,  whom  they 
would  support  by  voluntary  contribution.  This  w^as  ex- 
tremely generous.  They  met  in  m}"  study,  and  insisted  that 
I  should  remain  w^itli  them  during  the  pending  of  these  mat- 
ters. My  heart  filled  and  my  tears  flowed.  I  can  quietly 
endure  the  abuse  of  the  wicked,  but  such  kindness  from 
-God's  people  almost  breaks  my  heart.'" 

In  a  note  on  the  margin  of  the  page  he  adds: 

^'  I  should  have  stated  that  this  action  was  taken  by  the 
session  on  my  tendering  to  them,  and  through  them  to  the 
chui'ch,  the  resignation  of  my  pastoral  charge." 

From  this  letter  tw^o  facts  are  perfectly  clear :  the  first  is, 
that  Dr.  White  did  not  offer  his  resignation  under  a  promise 
of  the  session  to  provide  for  him  a  maintenance  as  pastor 


Resigns  the  Pastorate.  211 

emeritus.  He  could  not  have  known  what  was  Li  that  time 
in  their  minds;  and  if  he  had,  he  could  not  have  known 
whether  the  congregation  would  approve  their  act.  "The 
action  was  taken,"  he  saj's,  "on  my  tendering  to  them,  and 
through  them  to  the  church,  the  resignation  of  my  pastoral 
charge/' 

His  resignation  was  evidently  the  discharge  of  a  duty,  in 
w^hich  he  walked  by  simple  faith  in  God,  who  w^ould  overrule 
all  things  for  good ;  it  was  going  forward  in  the  dark. 

The  second  fact  made  evident  by  this  letter  is,  that  he 
could  not  have  been  misinformed  or  mistaken  in  w^hat  he 
wjote.  It  is  rarely  the  case  that  so  many  details  of  any 
transaction  are  given  in  a  friendly  letter  without  any  design 
for  publication.  The  meeting  was  "a  full  one";  it  was  held 
only  "a  week"  before  he  wrote;  "in  my  study";  after  their 
insisting  on  his  remaining  "  with  them  during  the  pending 
of  these  matters";  they  agreed  to  continue  "a  salary  of 
$1,000";  .  .  "to  call  a  collegiate  pastor,"  and  to  provide  for 
his  support  "by  voluntary  contributions."  He  then  states 
the  effect  of  their  action  uj)on  his  feelings  in  language  iden- 
tical with  that  on  the  last  page  of  his  "notes." 

By  this  act  of  the  session.  Dr.  AVhite  was  led  to  open  cor- 
respondence with  a  young  minister,  one  who  had  grown  up 
in  the  church,  and  for  whom  he  felt  a  love  so  deep  and 
strong  that  he  w^as  sure  they  could  cooperate  watli  cordiaHty. 
This  young  minister  agreed  to  act  as  his  colleague,  and 
WTote  to  him  accordingly. 

For  reasons  which  we  have  not  been  able  to  ascertain, 
the  session  changed  their  mind.  The  collegiate  pastor  was 
not  employed.  The  first  of  January  passed  without  such  an 
improvement  in  his  health  as  justified  his  resuming  the  full 
duty  of  the  ministry  in  so  large  a  church.  Accordingly,  on 
the  9th  of  March,  18G7,  he  ag^in  tendered  the  formal  resig- 
nation of  his  office,  and  asked  the  session  and  congregation 
to  concur  with  him  in  an  application  to  Presbytery  to  grant 


212  Resignation  Accepted. 

it.  The  session,  in  meeting  March  12,  18G7,  acceded  to  liis 
request,  and  at  a  congregational  meeting,  held  April  13, 
1807,  his  resignation  'u-as  accepted.  An  effort  was  made  to 
defeat  this  action  by  the  offer  of  a  substitute,  declining  to 
accept  his  resignation,  and  offering  Dr.  White  an  assistant. 
But  the  substitute  was  lost. 

This  action,  though  taken  in  congregational  meeting,  was 
not  agreeable  to  the  majority,  and  trouble  began  to  arise. 
The  division  of  the  church  was  threatened.  Dr.  "WTiite,  with 
characteristic  self-forgetfulness,  promptly  prevented  any 
such  catastrophe.  In  a  letter  to  his  son  George,  dated  May 
27,  1867,  after  the  words,  "The  strong  aversion  of  many, 
nay,  a  large  majority  of  the  church,  to  unite  in  my  request 
to  Presbytery,"  he  adds,  "The  desire  was  to  procure  an  as- 
sistant.    But  this  was  opposed  by  a  part  of  the  session,  and 

finally  by  all  except  Mr.  .     But  I  was  firmly  resolved, 

by  the  help  of  God,  that  there  should  be  no  division,  no 
wrangling,  and  had  a  brief-  letter  read  from  the  pulpit  by 
Dr.  Kirkpatrick,  which  fully  C[ui8ted  the  matter,  and  so  the 
dissolution  was  effected  with  the  utmost  harmony." 

AVhen  General  Washington  resigned  his  place  at  the  head 
of  the  army  with  which  he  had  won  the  nation's  liberty,  it 
was  by  general  consent.  When  Cincinnatus  resigned  the 
dictatorship  of  Rome,  and  retired  to  his  farm,  he  sought  his 
pei'sonal  ease.  When  Samuel,  the  last  and  noblest  of  the 
judges  of  Israel,  stood  aside  from  power  and  influence,  'twas 
because  he  was  growing  old,  and  the  peoj)le  were  clamoring 
for  a  king.  But  Dr.  AYhite  resigned  at  sixty-six  j^ears  of 
age  "from  a  firm  conviction  that  yoiu*"  (the  church's)  "best 
interests  made  it  necessary,"  and  by  his  personal  influence 
prevailed  on  "the  large  majorit}^"  to  submit  to  a  party  in 
the  session. 

The  minister  of  the  gospel  who  is  called  of  God  to  the 
work  never  wants  to  "retire  from  business."  The  labor  of 
his  vocation  is  its  own  reward.     The  joy  of  that  communion 


Works  for  the  Peace  of  the  Church.  213 

with  the  Lord  which  he  finds  iu  his  work  has  a  pecuhar  fas- 
cination for  his  niiud.  He  has  meat  to  eat  that  others  know 
not  of.  And  this  is  the  reason  why,  of  all  men,  he  is  the 
most  reluctant  to  retire  from  work.  Even  when  failin^j 
health,  or  the  infirmities  of  old  age,  lay  the  necessity  upon 
him,  the  heart  pines  to  be  at  it  again.  It  has  been  playfully 
said  that  ''the  grace  of  resignation  is  the  last  grace  God 
gives  a  minister  of  the  gospel." 

When  Dr.  "White  was  called  to  Lexington,  in  1848,  the 
living  proniised  him  by  the  church  was  $1,000,  and  the  use 
of  the  manse.  This  was  soon  raised  to  $1,200,  and  was 
promptly  paid  throughout  his  ministry.  Although  the  town 
of  Lexington  did  not  grow  appreciably,  yet  such  .was  the 
growth'  of  the  church  iu  the  time  of  his  work  among  them, 
that  immediately  upon  his  retirement  they  called  Dr.  Moses 
Hoge,  of  Richmond,  on  a  salaiy  of  $2,500  and  manse.  The 
church  had  become  one  of  the  strongest  in  the  Synod  in 
every  way.  Its  size,  compared  with  that  of  the  town  of 
twenty-five  hundred  inhabitants,  was  phenomenal.  It  would 
be  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to  find  a  parallel  case.  The 
town  w^as  full  of  men  and  women  who  regarded  him  as  their 
spiritual  father.  By  his  personal  presence  and  sympathy, 
as  a  *'  son  of  consolation  "  during  the  war,  he  had  carried  the 
comfort  of  rehgion  to  almost  every  house. 

To  stand  aside  from  such  a  pastorate,  and  see  another  take 
his  place  in  the  affections  of  the  people ;  to  have  an  effort  to 
retain  him  on  a  living  salary,  as  pastor  emeritus,  rejected, 
and  see  another  called  to  do  his  work  with  a  promise  of 
twice  the  salary  he  had  ever  received,  was  calculated  to  stir 
up  jealousy  and  a  factious  spirit.  But  just  the  opposite  was 
conspicuously  displayed.  He  interested  himself  in  helping 
the  people  to  get  a  minister ;  and  when  at  last  one  came,  he 
welcomed  him  with  open  arms,  waited  upon  his  ministry 
with  docility,  and  uj^held  his  hands  in  every  way. 

In  a  letter  to  his  son  George,  dated  Julv  25,  1868,  he 


214  Works  for  the  Peace  or  the  Church. 

"writes:  "I have  made  several  excursions  into  the  country  to 
preach,  and  enjoyed  it  very  much.  I  expect  to  j^reach  here 
(Lexington)  to-morrow  for  the  first  time  in  two  years.  .  .  . 
The  last  minister  called  to  the  pastorate  of  this  church  was 
the  Kev.  Mr.  Lowry,  of  Selma,  Alabama.  But  he  too  de- 
clines then*  call,  and  they  meet  again  on  the  3rd  of  August 
to  make  another  effort.  They  are  becoming  ternbly  dis- 
heartened, and  ax^pearances  at  present  portend  a  split.  Some 
ill-feehng  and  some  wranghng  begin  to  appear.  I  was  told 
recently  from  a  high  source,  that  if  I  would  permit  my  name 
to  be  used  I  would  be  elected  by  acclamation.  Of  com*se  I 
declined.  1  told  him  my  work  as  pastor  of  this  church  was 
fully  finished  in  Juty,  1866.  But  I  do  feel  great  anxiety 
about  them." 

Having  resigned  from  a  sense  of  duty,  in  the  face  of  pov- 
erty and  a  homeless  old  age,  he  was  not  the  man  to  retm-n 
to  office  again.  His  step  had  been  taken  dispassionately, 
in  the  fear  of  God,  and  was  therefore  without  repentance. 

Not  very  long  after  this  the  Presbytery  of  Lexington  met 
in  Lexington.  He  attended  its  sittings  awhile  daily,  and 
occupied  a  chair  in  front  of  the  pulpit.  *'  His  appearance 
was  very  venerable  and  impressive,"  says  the  Eev.  K.  H. 
Fleming,  who  was  a  member  of  the  court.  "  The  moderator 
called  on  him  to  address  the  body,  which  he  did  with  marked 
effect  on  all  present."  Among  other  things,  showing  the  de- 
cision of  his  mind  about  the  step  he  had  taken,  he  said,  with 
that  warmth  and  forcefnlness  which  was  characteristic  of 
him,  "  Brethren,  forty  years  ago  I  heard  the  voice  of  God 
speaking  to  me  and  saying,  '  Preach  my  gospel,'  and  now, 
with  equal  distinctness,  1  hear  him  saying,  *  Stop  preach- 
mg.'"  The  Eev.  John  A.  Scott,  of  Duffield,  W.  Va.,  recol- 
lects, among  other  remarks,  this,  "I  thank  God  he  has  j)er- 
mitted  me  to  preach  the  gospel  for  forty  3'ears."  Thus  was 
he  i^ermitted,  like  the  great  apostle,  to  finish  his  course  with 


His  Fifth  School.  215 

To  have  resigned  at  sixty-six  years  of  age  because  his 
throat  was  sore,  was  surely  a  mistake.  Events  proved  it  sj. 
Rest  entirely  restored  him.  To  begin  at  that  time  of  life  a 
struggle  for  existence,  under  all  the  circumstances,  seemed 
a  desperate  venture.  But  he  saw  no  escape  from  it,  after 
leaving  his  pulpit  and  manse. 

He  had  laid  by  a  small  patrimony  yeais  before,  and  added 
something  to  it  while  teaching  in  Charlottesville.  This  was 
swept  away  by  the  war.  His  noble" spirit  would  not  allow 
him  to  accept  a  living  from  any  while  he  had  power  to  earn 
it  for  himself.  The  same  greatness  of  heart  thr.t  could  not 
bear  the  thought  of  holding  on  by  "sentimentrd  sufferance" 
to  a  place  in  the  church  which  he  could  not  completely  fill 
would  not  allow  him  to  be  a  pensioner  upon  another's  bount3^ 
He  could  lay  down  his  salary,  vacate  his  home,  and  hazard 
all  the  ills  of  a  penniless  old  age  for  the  church  which,  by 
God's  blessing,  he  had  carried  up  to  the  front  rank  in  the 
S^Tiod  of  Yii'ginia,  but  he  could  not  «at  the  bread  of  idleness 
under  any  circumstances. 

The  Ann  Smith  Academy,  a  school  of  high-grade  for  young 
ladies,  being  vacant,  and  being  "  pressed  upon  "  him,  he  ac- 
cepted the  position  of  principal,  and  entered  upon  its  duties 
in  September,  1868.  An  experience  of  twelve  years  in  con- 
ducting a  school  of  this  sort  in  Charlottesville  prepared  his 
mind  for  the  task  before  him.  He  knew  all  about  its  cares 
and  toils.  Yet  he  took  hold,  at  the  age  of  sixtj'-eight  years, 
wdth  characteristic  corn-age,  determined  to  throw  into  the 
enterprise  all  his  enthusiasm  and  strength,  and  make  it  a 
success. 

In  a  letter  to  one  of  his  sons,  dated  July  25,  1868,  he 
writes  thus:  "I  am  al)out  to  buckle  on  the  harness  as  a 
teacher  again.  It  would  be  impossible  to  find  a  more  com- 
fortable home  than  we  have  here.  Eut  I  am  idle,  and  this 
is  enough  to  render  any  home  distasteful.  The  trustees  and 
many  others  press  the  Ann  Smith  Academy  upon  me.     I 


216  His  Fifth  School. 

hope  to  get  Mr.  "Wm.  Jordan  and  his  Avife  to  keep  the  house 
aud  accoincQodate  the  boarders,  inchiding  your  mother  and 
me  in  the  number.  "We  shall  accordingly  vacate  our  delight- 
ful rooms  here  and  take  far  inferior  ones  there.  Your 
mother  will  take  the  little  girls.  IMav  it  please  God  to  en- 
able me  to  do  something  more  in  this  line  before  I  die 
Kow  that  he  has  given  me  a  measure  of  health  I  never  ex- 
l^ected  to  enjoy  again,  I  must  use  it  in  his  service,  or  greatly 
sin." 

His  strength  of  purpose  is  seen  in  a  letter  to  his  brother- 
in-law,  the  Rev.  John  S.  Watt : 

''November  26,  1866. 
"  My  Beak  Brother  :  They  talk  of  calling  an  assistant. 
But ....  and  others  are  opposed  to  this  for  the  reason,  as 
they  express  it,  that  it  is  less  cruel  to  starve  one  man  than 
two.  If  I  resign,  then,  at  over  sixty-six  years  of  age,  I  begin 
life  afresh  a  great  deal  poorer  than  I  was  forty  years  ago. 
But  I  may  have  voice  enough  to  teach,  if  not  to  preach,  and  if 
not,  then  use  enough  of  this  right  hand  to  keep  some  mer- 
chant's books.    God  helping,  neither  you  nor  I  need  despair." 

His  wife  entered  with  him  into  this  work  with  her  whole 
heart.  She  too,  though  nearly  seventy  years  of  age,  became 
a  teacher  of  girls,  having  her  room  and  classes  to  which  she 
gave  her  time  every  day. 

There  is  something  very  touching  and  inspiring  in  this 
sight:  two  old  people,  who  had  spent  their  whole  life  in  the 
service  of  God  in  the  church,  broken  in  fortune,  enfeebled 
by  age,  of  their  own  accord  stej)ping  down  from  iirominence 
and  competency,  declining  to  live  with  their  children  because, 
as  they  often  said,  "  if  they  could  not  help,  they  would  not 
hinder  "  them,  and  going  into  the  school-room  to  earn  their 
bread  "by  the  sweat  of  their  face." 

And  they  did  it  so  meekly,  so  sweetly.  Not  a  word  of 
complaint  fell  from  their  lips,  even  in  the  hearing  of  those 


His  Fifth  School.  217 

who  knew  them  as  children  know  loving-  and  confiding  pa- 
rents. Like  God-fearing  saints  they  accepted  "the  hard  lot 
of  a  struggle  for  bread  in  old  age  as  a  dispensation  of  mercy 
from  a  loving  heavenly  Father.  They  went  to  their  task 
without  a  murmuring  word,  nay,  counting  it  a  joy  to  "please 
God "'  by  doing  "  something  more  in  this  line  "  before  they 
died. 

The  boarding  department  of  the  school  was  entrusted  to 
a  friend  of  long  standing,  Mr.  Wm.  Jordan,  who  filled  the 
place  completely.  The  teaching  was  done  by  himself  and 
wife,  with  the  following  faculty,  viz. :  Miss  Francis  Mary 
Exall,  from  Reading,  England,  who  had  entire  charge  of  the 
music  department ;  Miss  Jane  Reid  Tenable,  of  Farmville, 
Ya.,  had  charge  of  the  preparatory  department;  Miss  Mary 
Francis  AVitherspoon,  of  York,  S.  C,  managed  the  department 
of  higher  English;  Prof.  D.  Rodes  Massie,  the  department 
of  languages ;  Mr.  Edwin  C.  Moorman,  of  Powhatan  county, 
Va.,  taught  mathematics.  From  the  size  and  accomplish- 
ment of  his  staff,  it  is  obvious  that  Dr.  White's  ideas  had 
not  diminished  with  age.  Miss  Withersj^oon,  having  married 
Dr.  Lewis  Duncan  Mason,  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y  ,  resides  there, 
and  is  an  authoress  of  increasing  fame.  Her  husband  is  a 
distinguished  physician  and  a  lineal  descendant  of  the  very 
celebrated  Rev.  Dr.  John  M.  Mason.  Miss  Exall  married 
Mr  AYm.  Chaplin,  member  of  Parliament  from  Torquay, 
and  is  now  a  widow. 

Dr.  White  won  the  hearts  of  his  assistant  teachers  as  of 
his  scholars.  We  have  in  hand  a  letter  from  Mrs.  Dr.  IMason, 
abundantly  showing  the  truth  of  this  statement,  which  on 
many  accounts  we  would  like  to  insert. 

The  school  proved  a  success.  It  paid  all  expenses  from 
the  start,  and  yielded  a  surplus.  But  it  soon  became  evi- 
dent that  the  strain  was  too  heavy  for  him,  enfeebled,  as  he 
was,  by  old  age,  and  his  superabundant  work  and  anxiety 
during  the  war.     His  strength  gave  out  sooner  than  he  ex- 


218  Resigns  his  School. 

pected.  A  succession  of  attacks,  attended  by  sinking  spells 
that  exhausted  his  strength,  after  three  years  of  work,  con- 
\dnced  him  and  his  children  of  his  inability  successfully  to 
carry  on  the  enterprise.  His  spirit  was  willing,  but  his 
flesh  was  weak.  So,  at  the  end  of  the  third  session,  with 
the  earnest  advice  of  his  sons,  he  volunteered  his  resignation 
to  the  Board  of  Trustees. 

It  was  a  common  saying  with  him  that  he  would  not  hold  a 
jDlace  that  felt  itself  independent  of  him,  and  which  another 
could  be  gotten  to  fill  better  than  he  could.  To  hang  on  to 
a  place  for  the  loaves  and  fishes,  his  noble  spirit  could  not 
brook.  The  place  must  hang  on  to  him  as  indispensable  to  its 
interests.  "Woe  to  a  preacher,"  he  used  to  say,  "vvhen  he 
ceased  to  be  indispensable  to  his  church  I*' 

The  same  motive  led  him  to  resign  the  principalship  of 
the  Academy  that  led  to  his  resignation  of  his  puij^it.  He 
entered  both  as  the  servant  of  God,  and,  finding  his  work 
beyond  his  strength,  turned  it  over  to  another.  On  two 
former  occasions  he  had  it  seriously  in  mind  to  resign  his 
pulpit,  because  he  thought  he  might  be  more  useful  else- 
where. Thus,  December  13,  1860,  he  writes  to  a  friend:  "I 
cannot  help  feeling  that  the  time  has  come  for  me  to  seek  a 
smaller  and  more  obscure  position.  A  few  months  ago  I 
thought  I  should  leave  and  embark  in  teaching  a  female 
school,  but  the  Lord  hedged  up  the  way,  or,  rather,  he 
seemed  to  do  it."  This  refers  probably  to  the  effort  of  Dr. 
Joseph  M.  Atkinson  to  get  him  to  take  charge  of  the  Insti- 
tute for  3'oung  ladies  at  Raleigh,  N.  C. 

Again  he  sought  the  office  of  evangelist.  February  19, 
1858,  he  writes:  "There  has  been  a  steadily  deepening  con- 
viction on  my  mind  for  more  than  twelve  months  that  a  man 
may  be  found  better  fitted  to  fill  my  place  than  I  now  can. 
.  .  .  Could  I  not  resign  my  present  charge  for  the  office  of 
evangehst,  to  be  appointed  and  sustained,  say,  by  AVest  and 
East  Hanover  Presbyteries,  with  a  special  view  to  visit  all 


Resigns  his  School.  219 

the  churches  in  theii'  bounds,  directing  my  labors  mainh^  to 
the  awakening-  of  the  ruhng  eldership  and  the  increase  of 
candidates  for  the  ministry,  extending  my  work  into  frontier 
and  destitute  portions  of  the  land?  ...  It  does  seem  to  me 
that,  with  the  small  modicum  of  i/;/common  sense,  and  the 
more  respectable  modicum  of  connnon  sense,  that  God  has 
given  me,  I  could  thus  do  more  for  the  seminary,  the  colleges, 
the  common  schools,  and  the  press  of  our  church,  in  the  lit- 
tle time  now  remaining  to  me,  than  in  any  other  way." 

Dr.  Plumer  says,  as  we  have  already  seen,  that  no  man 
better  understood  his  oicn  pollers  than  Dr.  White.  He  suc- 
ceeded at  everything  he  undertook  throughout  life.  The 
merit  of  success  always  showed  itself,  whether  teacher,  or 
agent,  or  preacher,  or  presbyter.  Even  in  the  last  effort  of 
his  life,  as  principal  of  Ann  Smith  Academy,  he  succeeded, 
as  may  be  seen  from  the  following  letter : 

"  Lexington,  Va.,  August  3,  1871. 
"Eev.  W.  S.  White,  D.  D.  : 

"  Dear  Sir  :  The  Trustees  of  the  Ann  Smith  Academy  have 
instructed  me  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  letter  of 
resignation.  They  accept  the  same,  and  in  doing  so,  tender 
to  you  their  hearty  acknowledgments  for  the  able  manner 
in  which,  for  three  years,  you  have  presided  over  the  insti- 
tution, and  their  sincere  regrets  that  joxxv  health  wdll  not 
admit  of  j'our  longer  continuance  at  this  post  of  usefulness. 
They  express  the  sentiments  of  the  whole  community  when 
they  assure  you  that  your  resignation  creates  a  vacancy 
which  they  cannot  hope  adequately  to  fill. 

"  Commending  you  to  the  care  of  the  Father  of  mercies, 
they  pray  that  your  honored  and  useful  life  may  be  lt):ig 
spared  in  the  midst  of  this  community,  where  the  marks  of 
your  abundant  labors  are  everywhere  visible. 

"Very  truly  and  respectfully,  your  friend  and  brother, 

"  Jno.  W.  Pratt,  Pres.  of  Board  of  Trustees."^ 


CHAPTEE   XV. 

1871-1873. 

KeTEEATS  TO  THE    HoME  or  HIS   DAUGHTER,  MkS.   HaEKIET   McCkUM. 

Serene  and  Cheerful  Old  Age.  — How  he  Appeared  to  his  Breth- 
KEN ;  e.  g..  Rev.  G.-  W.  Leyburn  and  Rev,  Dr.  "Wm.  S.  PLinviER.  — 
His  Chief  Desire  in  Prospect  of  Death. — Leads  his  Physician 
TO  Christ. — Impressive  Interview  with  Judge  J.  W.  Beocken- 
BEouGH. — Anecdote  of  his  Patriotism. 

"  What  if  I  sleep  and  then  awake 
On  the  future's  distant  shore  ; 
Where  the  rose  of  love  and  the  lily  of  peace 
Shall  bloom  forever  more  ? 

"  Then  let  the  earth  go  round  and  round. 
And  the  sun  sink  into  the  sea  ; 
For  whether  I'm  on  or  under  the  ground, 
Oh  !  what  will  it  matter  to  me  ?" 

THIS  was  in  August,  1871.  Old,  infirm,  homeless,  he  is 
at  that  sad  time  in  life  when  our  burdens  are  the  hea\'iest 
and  our  power  to  bear  or  throw  them  oft'  the  least.  He  has 
made  a  last,  despairing  effort  to  serve  his  God,  his  church  and 
his  generation.  He  has  sunk  beneath  the  effort.  Full  proof 
has  been  made  of  his  ministry.  The  judgment  of  his  sons 
concurs  with  his  own.  He  must  give  up  to  the  inev- 
itable. He  hears  the  voice  of  God  calling  him  out  of  the 
struggle  to  unbuckle  his  harness  and  be  stiU.  Bowing 
meekly  and  solemnly,  yet  with  a  sorrowing  heart  to  think 
that  he  can  do  no  more  for  that  cause  which  he  loves  so 
dearly,  he  quits  the  field. 

Unable  to  speak  in  public  or  teach  a  school,  he  yet  has 
some  ability  with  his  pen,  for  the  proper  use  of  which  he 
feels  accountable.  Under  this  conviction  the  "Notes"  which 
compose  the  staple  of  this  volume,  and  occasional  articles 

220 


Old  Age.  221 

for  the  religious  press,  were  written.  He  was  never  idle, 
but  used  up  the  last  shred  of  his  time  in  the  service  of  God. 

This  ardor  and  intensity  were  not  confined  to  the  church. 
He  served  his  country  as  well.  His  love  of  country  and  her 
institutions,  esj^ecially  his  native  State,  Yir<^-inia,  would  rouse 
him  even  from  a  sick  bed.  Long  after  he  had  left  the  walks 
of  men,  and  confined  him-self  to  his  sick  room,  learning  that 
his  friend,  General  Kemper,  w^as  before  the  people  as  a  can- 
didate for  the  governorship  of  the  State,  he  was  taken  by 
his  physician  in  a  carriage,  and  on  the  arms  of  friends,  to 
the  i^olls,  to  cast  his  vote.  As  he  w^as  brought  out  of  the 
courthouse,  some  one  in  the  crowd  exclaimed,  "Game  to 
the  last;"  and  the  Lexington  Gazette,  in  its  columns  the 
next  week,  compared  him  to  "Gideon  at  the  fords  of  the 
Jordan,  faint  yet  pursuing." 

He  was  a  Virginian  to  the  marrow  of  his  bones.  In  a  let- 
ter to  Dr.  Wm.  Brown,  about  their  contemplated  journey  to 
the  General  Assembly  in  Rochester,  New  York,  in  1860,  he 
writes : 

"I  don't  mean  to  dress  up.  I  was  buying  a  hat  the  other 
day,  and  the  seller  said,  '  You'll  not  see  one  man  in  twenty 
with  that  sort  of  a  hat  on  at  the  North.'  Then,  said  I,  it's 
the  hat  for  me,  because  it's  old  Virginia." 

Throughout  life  he  felt  a  strong  aversion  to  leaving  his 
native  State  for  any  other,  which  was  revived  with  j)ower  when- 
ever he  had  to  consider  seriously  a  call  to  work  in  another. 

Unable  to  serve  his  church  or  State  in  any  other  way  than 
by  the  occasional  use  of  his  pen,  he  finds  a  delightful  retreat 
in  the  home  of  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Harriet  McCrum.  Eead- 
ing,  writing,  playing  with  her  children,  and  receiving  his 
numerous  friends,  he  spends  a  serene  old  age,  "abounding 
in  hope  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost."  Visitors  often 
found  it  good  and  profitable  to  their  souls  to  look  into  his 
cheerful  countenance,  and  listen  to  his  words  of  wholesome 
entertainment.     His  delight  in  conversation  never  failed  him. 


222  How  HE  Appeared  to  Others. 

At  times  lie  sat  alone  and  kept  silence,  while  meditating  on 
liis  inability  to  serve  God  in  the  ministry.  At  other  times 
he  was  grieved  because  lie  had  no  home  of  his  own,  where 
his  children  and  grandchildren  might  gather  for  social  re- 
unions. But  his  faith  in  God,  and  his  "good  hope  of  glory 
through  grace,"  manifested  themselves  in  so  much  peace  and 
joy,  that  his  conversation  proved  a  fountain  of  pleasure  to 
those  who  sought  it. 

That  it  may  be  seen  how  he  appeared  to  others  in  his  last 
days,  as  well  as  to  his  children,  we  give  below  several  letters 
from  men  known  throughout  the  church,  whose  ministry 
was  cotemporaneous  with  his;  i.  e.,  Eev.  G.  L.  Leyburn,  Sr., 
Eev.  Dr.  W.  S.  Plumer,  Dr.  Bissell,  and  Dr.  J.  L.  Kirk- 
patrick. 

[For  the  Central  Presbyterian.'] 
"Testemony  of  a  Departing  Veteran. 

"I  was  in  Lexington,  Va.,  between  two  and  three  weeks 
ago,  and  called  to  see  our  venerable  friend.  Dr.  Wm.  S. 
"Wliite.  I  had  heard,  previous  to  making  the  call,  that  he 
was  so  unwell  as  to  be  "laid  up,"  but  thought  it  might  be  a 
temporary  indisposition,  such  as,  at  times,  of  late  years,  he 
had  passed  through.  When  I  saw  him,  however,  and  heard 
him  express  himself,  I  began  to  think  that  he  was  probably 
soon  to  receive  the  Master's  call.  I  thought  I  saw  some- 
thing of  the  seal  of  death  upon  his  features.  But  his  face 
never  so  impressed  me,  as  a  venerable  and  striking  one,  in 
the  degree  that  it  then  did. 

"He  called  me,  almost  as  soon  as  I  got  in,  to  his  bed-side; 
in  his  usual  friendly  way  (which  any  one  acquainted  with 
him  will  remember),  expressed  his  pleasure  at  seeing  me ;  told 
me  how  much  comfort  he  had  had  in  the  calls  and  the  pra^'ers 
with  him  of  my  brother,  who  resides  in  the  vicinity,  and  re- 
peated what  he  had  at  other  times  said  of  the  friendship  be- 
tween them  of  so  many  years These  words  of  his, 


How  HE  Appeared  to  Others.  223 

spoken  at  such  a  juncture,  have  renewed  in  my  mind  the 
thought,  how  precious,  how  heaven-Hke,  how  immortal  are 
Christian  friendships ! 

"  'The  fellowship  of  kindred  minds, 
Is  like  to  that  above. ' 

"Then,  asking  me  to  lead  in  prayer  by  his  bed-side,  he 

said,  '  Brother  L ,  I  am  getting  near ;  but  I  am  peaceful — 

I  am  peaceful.'  And  then  he  added,  seeming  to  me  partic- 
ularly to  wish  to  utter  this  testimony  :  '  I  have  spent  forty- 
two  years  in  the  gospel  ministry ;  I  have  no  regrets  for  that ;  I 
am  thankful  that  I  have  spent  so  much  of  my  Hf e  in  that  work.' 

"Making  the  prayer  as  he  had  requested,  when  I  rose 
from  it  I  saw  that  he  seemed  still  for  a  few  moments  en- 
gaged in  silent  devotion,  with  his  arms  resting  on  the  elbows 
upon  his  breast,  and  his  hands  stretching  upwards  Then 
turning  to  me,  he  repeated  his  testimony',  I  think  as  to  his 
peace  of  mind  in  the  prospect  of  the  great  change  (and  he 
needed  not  to  tell  me  on  what  that  rested),  as  well  as  in  re- 
spect to  his  ministry. 

"  I  expected  and  wished  to  see  him  again,  for  the  chamber 
where  such  a  servant  of  God  meets  his  end  is  a  privileged 
place ;  it  is  a  vestibule  of  heaven  ;  we  may  obtain  more  than 
we  confer  in  the  visit  to  the  departing  one.  But  it  so  hap- 
pened that  I  did  not  get  there  again ;  it  was  therefore  my 
last  earthly  interview  with  him.  .  .  . 

"Winchester,  Va.,  December,  1873.  G.  W.  L." 

{From  the  New  York  Observer.] 

"  Letter  from  Dr.  Plumer  to  Levi  A.  Ward,  Esq  ,  of  Ro- 
chester, N.  Y. 

"My  Dear,  Kind  Friend  :  You  will  remember  that  blessed 
meeting  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  in  your  city  in  18C0.  I  can  never  forget  it.  At  its 
ojoening  Jjr.  Spring  offered  one  of  the  most  copious  and  edi- 


224  How  HE  Appeared  to  Others. 

fying  jDravers  I  have  ever  heard.  Although  it  ^vas  twice  as 
long  as  the  prayers  we  commonly  hear  before  sermon,  yet 
all  w^ere  sorry  when  he  ceased  to  plead  at  the  mercy-seat. 

"  The  i^rayer  was  followed  by  a  very  practical  and  power- 
ful discourse  from  Kev.  Dr.  Wm.  A.  Scott,  of  California.  The 
preacher  had  just  crossed  the  Rocky  I\iountains  by  the  '  pony 
express.'  For  eleven  days  and  nights  he  had  travelled  continu- 
ously, not  knowing,  for  a  considerable  part  of  the  way,  "what 
moment  the  Indians,  then  hostile  and  excited,  might  make 
a  murderous  attack  on  the  party.  But  God  spared  his  use- 
ful life,  and  he  preached  to  us  with  simplicity  and  power. 

'  The  Assembly  thus  opened  was  remarkable  for  many 
things.  It  was  large.  It  did  much  important  business. 
The  hospitality  shown  by  you  and  your  neighbors  was 
bomidless.  An  excellent  temper  governed  the  Assembly. 
There  was  an  abundance  of  good  preaching.  It  was  the 
last  Assembly  that  invited  any  Southern  man  to  fill  any 
high  post  in  the  North.  It  was  the  last  Assembly  in  which 
the  South  was  represented.  .  .  .  But  a  chief  object  in  writ- 
ing to  you  is  to  say  something  of  the  last  days  of  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Wm.  S.  "White,  who  recently  died  at  Lexington,  Va., 
honored  and  beloved  in  all  the  land. 

"You  will  remember  him  as  somewhat  lame.  Your  con- 
siderate Committee  of  Arrangements  kindly  placed  him  at  a 
fine  hotel  hard  by  the  church.  Here  he  was  handsomely 
entertained.  Out  of  the  Assembly  and  in  waking  hours  he 
was  almost  constantly  surrounded  by  a  pleasant  group  of 
gentlemen,  most  of  whom  had  never  seen  him  before.  They 
were  attracted  by  his  manly  and  noble  countenance,  by  his 
easy,  courteous  and  affable  manners,  by  his  marked  humil- 
ity, and  by  his  ardent  love  to  Christ  and  his  people.  Often 
have  they  spoken  of  the  love  and  admiration  he  drew  forth 
by  his  winning  ways. 

"  At  his  death  Dr.  W^hite  was  seventy- three  j^ears  old.  He 
had  been  a  jDreacher  forty-eight  years.     In  his  life  lie  had 


How  HE  AppeapvEd  to  Others.  225 

done  a  great  work  for  the  Tract  Society.  He  had,  at  dif- 
ferent times,  controlled  two  very  important  female  schools. 
He  had  been  chaplain  at  the  University  of  Virginia.  He 
had  had  charge  of  four  different  churches.  He  delighted 
in  j)astoral  work.  His  pulpit  was  his  throne.  His  people 
were  his  joy  and  crown.  I  think  you  would  like  to  hear 
something  of  the  last  days  of  this  great  and  good  man. 

"About  eight  years  ago  Dr.  White's  throat  or  lungs  be- 
came somewhat  affected.  He  suffered  more  or  less  till  near 
the  close  of  his  life,  when  a  bad  cold  aggravated  all  his 
symptoms.  He  lived  a  few  weeks  and  then  was  no  longer 
on  earth.  To  him  death  had  no  terrors.  It  was  the  high- 
way to  the  joy  of  his  Lord.  For  some  months  before  his 
decease  Dr.  White  had  confidently  anticipated  a  very  early 
departure  out  of  time  into  eternity.  Yet  he  was  always 
happy  to  see  his  friends,  particularly  his  brethren  in  the 
ministry.  Thinking  and  talking  of  death  did  not  distress 
him.  He  spoke  of  leaving  the  world  with  as  much  composure 
as  if  he  were  going  on  a  visit  to  one  of  his  children.  He 
said  he  had  lived  his  allotted  time  on  earth.  Except  for 
the  sundering  of  ties  very  tender  and  strong,  the  prospect  of 
dying  did  not  cost  him  a  pang.  He  would  have  greatly  re- 
joiced to  be  allowed  to  preach  the  blessed  gv)spel,  but  he 
never  murmured  at  the  silence  enforced  upon  him  by  dis- 
ease. He  said,  '  I  have  been  greatly  honored  in  being  al- 
lowed, in  my  poor  way,  to  preach  the  glorious  gospel,  and 
now  my  Master,  who  called  me  first  to  preach,  wills  me  ta 
sit  still  and  be  silent ;  and  I  will  try  and  obey  him  in  a  pro- 
per and  becoming  manner,  as  a  Christian  ought,  with  pa- 
tience and  resignation  to  his  holy  will.  If  I  know  my  own 
heart,  I  desire  to  glorify  God  in  sickness  and  in  health.' 

"The  old  adversary,  the  lion  of  the  evening,  would  not 

let  this  old  hero  of  the  cross  pass  away  without  annoyance. 

He  sometimes  disturbed  him  with  fears  that  he  would  yet 

be  left  to  fall  into  some  sin  that  would  greatly  dishonor 

15 


226  How  HE  Appeared  to  Others. 

God.  Again  he  suggested  that  his  sins  were  too  great  for 
God  to  forgive.  But  these  conflicts  were  short.  The 
truths,  '  My  grace  is  sufficient  for  thee,'  and  '  He  is  able  to 
save  to  the  uttermost,'  were  blessed  to  drive  away  the  arch 
enemy. 

"  Dr.  AVhite's  interest  in  the  church  of  Clu'ist  grew  stronger 
and  stronger  to  the  end.  He  delighted  in  hearing  of  any 
j)roo^ress  the  gospel  was  making  in  any  part  of  the  world. 
He  took  great  interest  in  the  proceedings  of  the  Evangelical 
Alliance.  As  his  vision  was  good  (he  had  second  sight),  he 
read  with  great  pleasure  everything  he  could  get  on  the 
subject.  He  said  he  thought  it  augured  well  for  the  church 
of  Christ.  He  loved  God's  people  of  every  name.  The 
hymns  beginning— 

"  '  I  lay  my  sins  on  Jestis, 
The  spotless  Lamb  of  God, ' 

and — 

' ' '  Jesus,  lover,  of  my  soul, 
Let  me  to  thy  bosom  fly, ' 

were  as  soothing  cordials  to  him. 

""With  the  exceptions  already  stated.  Dr.  White's  i:)eace 
"was  like  a  river.  It  was  the  peace  of  God  that  passeth  all 
understanding.  Lying  very  still  for  a  while,  one  heard  him 
say,  'I  want  to  go  home.'  Supposing  his  mind  might  be 
wandering,  one  said,  'You  are  at  home.'  He  replied,  'Oh! 
yes,  I  am  at  my  earthly  home,  but  I  want  to  go  to  my  heav- 
enly home,  to  be  with  Jesus.  Here  I  have  a  good,  sweet 
home,  with  my  dear  wife  and  children,  and  it  will  be  a  great 
trial  to  part  with  you  all.  But  I  want  to  go  to  my  heavenly 
home.  I  have  two  precious  sons  gone  before.  Will  not 
they  rejoice  to  welcome  their  old  father  to  glory  ?  And  will 
it  not  be  joyful  to  see  my  blessed  Saviour  and  Bedeemer  in 
his  glory  and  dwell  with  him  for  ever?' 

"  To  the  wife  of  his  youth  he  said,  '  Look  up  to  God,  my 


How  HE  Appeaeed  to  Others.  227 

dear  one.  Jehovah  will  be  3'our  Husband,  your  Father 
and  your  Friend.  It  will  not  be  long  before  3'ou  follow 
me.' 

"  He  knew  his  Saviour  as  long  as  he  knew  anything.  His 
full  and  final  release  was  apparently  without  pain.  He  fell 
asleep  in  Jesus. 

"Thus  there  has  left  us  as  true,  as  generous,  as  candid, 
as  faithful,  and  as  loving  a  man  as  you  will  find  in  a  Hfe- 
time. 

"My  love  to  all  around  you. 

"Faithfully  yours,  Wm.  S.  Plumeb." 

[From  the  New  York  Obseirver.] 
"  The  Late  William  S.  White,  D.  D. 

"  Messes.  Editors  :  The  recent  tribute  of  Dr.  Plumer  to 
his  old  friend.  Dr.  AMiite,  in  the  Observer  touches  the  heart 
of  another  friend  in  the  North. 

"  Nearly  forty  years  ago  it  was  the  privilege  of  the  writer 
to  be  Dr.  White's  assistant,  and  then  his  successor,  in  the 
general  agency  of  the  Virginia  Tract  Society,  just  entering 
upon  the  'volume  enterprise'  of  the  American  Tract  Society, 
inaugm-ated  after  a  noble  speech  made  by  Dr.  Plumer  be- 
fore them  at  their  anniversary,  Ma}^,  1884.  His  fellow- 
worker  begs  leave  to  bear  his  attestation  to  what  the  dis- 
tinguished professor  has  so  well  and  so  justly  said  of  one  of 
the  most  true,  devout,  and  earnest  servants  of  Christ  in  Vir- 
ginia during  the  last  forty  years,  and  to  drop  this  simple 
immortelle  on  the  grave  of  the  honored  and  beloved  pastor 
and  friend  of  his  youthful  ministrj^  S.  B.  S.  B." 

The  Eev.  Dr.  J.  L.  Kii'kpatrick,  Professor  of  Philosophy 
in  Washington  and  Lee  University,  wi-ote  of  liim  to  Tlie 
Central  Preshyterian^  viz. : 

'  This  is  Dr.  Bissell,  now  of  New  York  city,  who  assisted  Dr.  White 
in  his  early  mauhood  in  the  American  Tract  Agency  in  Virginia. 


223  How  HE  Appeared  to  Others. 

"His  life — whole  life — is  such  a  testimony  that  nothing 
could  have  been  added  to  its  value  by  the  experiences  of 
the  dying  hour.  It  was  a  life  of  unremitted,  self-denying 
labor  in  the  service  of  the  Redeemer  as  long  as  strength  was 
given  him  to  stand  in  the  pulpit,  or  a  voice  to  proclaim  the 
offers  of  salvation  to  a  perishing  world,  and  afterward  to 
its  close  a  life  of  suffering,  but  of  suffering  that  no  less  de- 
cisively evinced  his  love  to  the  Saviour  than  his  most  devoted 
labors  in  preaching  the  gospel;  it  was  borne  in  such  a  sweet 
spirit  of  Christ-like  resignation;  through  it  all  he,  the  pa- 
tient, was  so  bright  and  hopeful.  Never  has  it  been  my 
happiness  to  witness  a  more  'beautiful  old  age,'  or  so  cheer- 
ful, nay,  so  cheering,  a  sick  room. 

"AYho  of  the  ministers  of  our  church,  belonging  to  the 
generation  in  which  we  live,  is  more  worthy  of  as  high  a 
tribute  of  commendation  and  honor  as  it  is  lawful  for  man 
to  bestow  on  man  ?  I  am  sure  that  no  member  of  our  Synod 
possessed  in  a  larger  measure  the  confidence  and  love  of  all 
his  brethren  and  of  the  Christian  people  of  the  State.  If 
he  was  more  loved  and  esteemed  in  Lexington  than  else- 
where, it  was  only  because  we  saw  more  of  him  than  others 
did  and  knew  him  better." 

The  governing  motive  of  his  life  was  strong  to  the  last — to 
honor  God.  He  used  to  quote  with  approbation  a  remark  of 
Dr.  Doddridge :  "I  am  more  afraid  of  dishonoring  God  than 
of  dying;"  and  frequenth^  said  he  was  much  afraid  he  would 
yet,  in  some  way,  bring  reproach  on  the  gospel  of  Christ. 

In  a  letter  to  his  son  George,  dated  October  26,  1867, 
after  he  had  resigned  his  pastoral  charge,  and  when  con- 
fined to  the  house  with  sickness,  he  thus  wrote:  "Your  re- 
flections as  to  God's  dealings  with  me  are  just  and  season- 
able, and  I  cannot  express  the  comfort  I  feel  at  being  thus 
written  to  l)y  a  dear  son.  I  need  instruction  and  counsel 
from  every  quarter,   for  I  am  passing  through  the   deep 


Last  Hours.  229 

waters.  My  condition  is  novel,  and,  in  some  respects,  so 
trying,  that  unless  I  receive  large  supplies  of  grace,  I  shall 
not  end  my  mt)rtal  life  in  accordance  with  my  long-cherished 
£ind  oft-rej)eated  principles.  I  greatly  desire  that  the  clos- 
ing sctnes  of  life  mag  not  he  imn'rcd  hy  any  deformity 
or  blot.  May  God,  in  whom  I  have  ever  lived,  be  my 
guide  unto  death."  In  his  last  days  he  often,  ver}^  often, 
quoted  Psalm  Ixxi.  18:  "Now^  also,  when  I  am  old  and  gray- 
headed,  O  God,  forsake  me  not,  until  I  have  shewed  thy 
strength  unto  this  generation,  and  thy  power  to  every  one 
that  is  to  come." 

His  physician.  Dr.  J.  W.  McCkmg,  had  a  large  practice, 
was  about  sixty  years  of  age,  the  head  of  a  family,  and  was 
accounted  one  of  the  best  men  by  natui'e  in  the  community. 
But  he  was  not  a  Christian;  had  never  given  himself  to  the 
Lord  Jesus,  nor  publicly  confessed  him.  Dr.  White's  heart 
was  moved  for  him  so  deeply  that  he  strove  to  show  him 
the  error  of  his  ways  and  bring  him  to  God.  Nor  did  he 
abandon  his  pui'pose  until  it  was  consummated.  On  his 
dying  bed  he  had  the  joy  of  leading  to  Christ  him  who  min- 
istered to  his  body. 

Letter  from  Rev.  T.  P.  Epes. 

"  Woodstock,  Va.,  May  23,  1889. 

"De.\r  Brother  WmTE:  Some  time  ago,  w^hile  we  were 
resting  in  our  room  at  Dr.  Hopkins',  on  our  return  from 
Presbytery  at  Shepherdstowai,  I  promised  to  put  in  writing 
for  you  some  account  of  some  incidents  in  your  father's  sick 
chamber  a  few  weeks  or  months  before,  he  'fell  on  sleep.' 

"  You  must  pardon  the  delay  in  executing  the  promise 
then  made  in  Charlestown.  You  know,  the  pages  of  memory 
are  like  palimpsest  manuscripts,  written  over  many  a  time. 
Nothing  is  ever  lost,  but  often  the  process  of  restoration  is 
tedious,  and,  for  accuracy,  requires  a  leisure  hour  to  bring 
out  clearly  the  underwriting.     Even  now  I  cannot  relate  to 


230  Last  Hours. 

you  the  details  of  these  occasions  in  such  vividness  and  ten- 
derness as  will  account  for  the  fixed  impression  upon  me,  as 
permanent  as  life.  I  was  a  susceptible  b.)y  then,  and  from 
childhood  had  been  taught  to  hold  yom*  father  in  venera- 
tion, though  I  had  never  known  him  till  I  entered  "Washing- 
ton and  Lee  University  as  a  student,  in  September,  1870. 

*'  A  few  evenings  before  the  first  visit  of  which  we  were 
sj)eaking,  the  families  of  Mr.  McCrum  and  Professor  White 
had  been  called  to  his  bedside,  at  bedtime  I  think.  He  had 
sunken  through  weakness  into  a  state  of  inability  to  com- 
municate with  those  about  him,  and  had  lost  knowledge  of 
his  outward  suiToimdings ;  yet  the  continuity  of  conscious- 
ness in  the  soul  was  not  suspended,  and  rational  thought 
was  not  interrupted. 

"  Locked  in  in  this  state,  he  comprehended  the  cause,  that 
it  was  from  physical  exhaustion.  This  he  took  to  be  death. 
This  conviction  first  forced  itself  upon  him  on  discovering 
his  loss  of  power  to  communicate  with  those  around  him, 
while  as  yet  he  was  still  cognizant  of  their  presence.  His 
spirit  yearned  to  say  some  tender  word  of  farewell  to  each 
one  in  the  room,  especialty  to  speak  once  again  to  your  brother 
Tom.  *  There '  (waving  his  hand)  '  sat  my  boy  Tom,  and  I 
did  want  to  plead  with  him  once  more  to  come  to  Jesus,  and 
could  not.'  For  a  time  his  heart  was  bitterly  pained  and 
disti-essed  at  leaving  him  still  out  of  Christ.  '  But,'  said  he, 
'  it  was  only  for  a  little  while,  for  I  felt  sui'e  that  a  covenant- 
keeping  God  would  bring  him  to  me  after  I  was  gone.'  And 
as  he  spoke  this  confidence  to  us,  his  face  lighted  up  with 
the  assurance  of  hope,  emanating  from  a  faith  which  is  the 
substance  of  the  things  we  hope  for.  'And,'  he  added,  'he 
will  do  it.' 

"  Presently  his  senses  became  so  feeble  that  they  failed 
even  to  bring  in  a  knowledge  of  his  surroundings,  though 
the  mind  was  still  active  and  clear.  Now,  as  he  thought  he 
was  passing  away,  eager  expectancy  of  the  imminent  meet- 


Last  Hours.  231 

ing  T\itli  the  Lord  filled  him  with  glad  emotiou,  which 
beamed  in  his  eye  then  while  he  spoke. 

"  Later  in  the  night  his  physical  powers  revived,  his  senses 
were  re-oj^ened,  and  he  discovered,  with  bitter  disappoint- 
ment, that  he  had  not  passed  from  earth,  but  was  returned 
to  life  in  the  flesh. 

"  Thus,  in  substance,  he  related  this  strange  experience. 
I  wish  I  could  give  it  to  you  in  his  own  words,  of  which  a 
number  inhere  in  the  above  account  in  its  descriptive 
terms. 

"As  he  was  talking,  a  shadow  of  compunction  suddenly 
came  over  his  face.  His  lips  quivered,  and  his  countenance 
told  unmistakably  that  the  tears  which  were  streaming 
from  his  eyes  were  tears  of  repentance.  This  he  explained 
immediately  by  saying,  'And  it  was  wrong ;  if  God  wants 
me  to  stay,  he  has  something  for  me  to  do,  and  I  ought  not 
to  want  to  go;  but  I  cannot  see  what  it  is.' 

"I  have  seen  men  in  pangs  of  remorse  for  sin;  I  have 
seen  them  in  the  agony  of  conviction  of  sin;  I  have  seen 
them  in  sweet  contrition  under  a  sense  of  sin  pardoned ;  but 
nothing  has  ever  produced  such  an  impression  of  the 
sinfulness  of  sin  as  the  sight  of  this  aged  sei*vant  of  the 
Lord,  ripe  like  a  shock  of  corn,  weeping  in  godly  sorrow  ft.r 
that  which  before  we  had  always  esteemed  a  grace  and  a 
triumph  of  faith ;  and  nothing  has  ever  revealed  to  me  more 
clearly  the  essence  of  sin  as  'lack  of  resignation  to  God's 
will '  as  he  defined  it. 

"One  of  us  said  to  him,  'Doctor,  you  have  much  to  hve 
for;  you  Jiave  taught  us  v^hat  sin  is.'  My  companion  during 
this  visit  was  young  John  McCoy,  my  room-mate,  who  is 
now  a  useful  elder  in  the  church  of  his  native  town,  Frank- 
lin, Pendleton  county,  West  Virginia.  The  exhibition  of 
the  fact  that  faith  may  be  of  such  a  character  as  to  bring 
quiet  and  calmness  even  to  a  dying  father  when  lea^dng  a 
yet  unsaved  son,  and  without  abihty  to  speak  once  mor3  to 


232  Last  Hours. 

him,  impressed  him,  he  tells  me,  more  than  anything  else 
in  this  deep  spiritual  experience  of  your  father.  It  was  in- 
deed marvellous.  It  reminded  him  of  the  faith  of  Abraham, 
when  pre^^aring  to  offer  Isaac.  This  faith  in  the  covenanted 
mercy  of  God,  you  tell  me,  has  been  justified  by  the  conver- 
sion of  3'oiu'  brother  since ;  and  we  have  an  exemplification 
of  the  fact,  that  to  take  such  comfort  from  faith  is  reason- 
able. 

"A  week  later,  perhaps,  I  was  again  with  your  father. 
This  time  alone,  if  I  remember  aright.  During  the  visit 
Judge  Brockenbrough  came  into  the  room.  Hearing  of  his 
restoration  from  this  collapse  prompted  him  to  stop  on  his 
way  home  from  his  afternoon  law  lecture,  as  it  had  occa- 
sioned my  call. 

"You  remember  Judge  Brockenbrough's  august,  portly 
presence,  his  massive  head,  his  strong  shaggy  brow,  his  ju- 
dicial face.  He,  too,  was  growing  infirm  and  clumsy  and 
unwieldy  to  himself  from  age.  He  drew  his  chair  to  your 
father's  bedside,  close  by  his  pillow,  and  expressed  his  grati- 
fication at  finding  him  restored  in  such  measure  to  strength 
and  comfort.  Dr.  White  thanked  him,  and  related  some- 
what of  his  recent  experience,  emphasizing  that  to  depart 
and  be  with  Christ  would  be  far  better.  Judge  Brocken- 
brough spoke  feelingly  of  the  priceless  comfort  of  such  a 
Christian  state,  and  expressed  with  genuine  pain  his  regret 
that  such  comfort  and  peace  were  not  his  in  view  of  his  own 
approaching  end. 

"Your  father  then  took  his  hands  in  one  of  his,  and  plac- 
ing the  other  upon  his  shoulder,  or  head,  as  the  Judge  bent 
forward  over  his  bed,  assured  him  that  such  a  peaceful  state 
might  be  his ;  told  him  ilvjit  often  he  had  thought  of  and 
pra^^ed  for  him  in  preaching,  commended  our  Lord  as  a  Sa- 
viour to  him,  and  persuasively  said  to  him,  that  to  see  him  a 
Christian  was  one  desire  of  his  heart  which  he  longed  to 
have  granted  before  his  departure. 


Last  Hours.  233 

"During  the  conversation,  Judge  Brockenbrougli's  frame 
shook  and  trembled,  and  tears  trickled  down  his  cheeks.  In 
answer  to  these  appeals  he  several  times  ejaculated,  '  I  will 
try,'  '  I  hope  so,'  and  finally,  asking  his  prayers,  he  rose  from 
his  chair,  their  hands  still  clasped  in  gentle  pressure.  For 
a  moment  in  silence  thoy  looked  into  each  other's  faces,  and 
then  the  Judge  turned  and  moved,  in  deep  thought,  from 
the  room,  without  another  word  on  the  part  of  either. 

"I  too,  scarcely  daring  to  speak  'good  bye,'  followed 
quietly  down  stairs,  feeling  indeed  that  God  did  have  some- 
thing for  him  to  do.  I  know  nothing  of  Judge  Brocken- 
brough's  religious  history  afterwards.  My  impression  is 
that  he  died  in  the  communion  of  the  Episcopal  Church. 

"  I  have  never  witnessed  a  tenderer  scene  between  men, 
nor  one  which  more  strongly  illustrated  the  supremacy  of 
'things  unseen  and  eternal.'  As  these  two  old  men  talked 
about  these  things,  their  frankness,  their  simplicity-,  their 
earnestness  w-as  sublime,  and  comported  with  nothing  but 
realities.  The  w^orld  was  behind  them.  They  were  on  the 
confines  of  eternity ;  they  knew  where  they  were  standing, 
and  did  not  hide  the  serious  verity  of  the  position  from 
each  other.     I  saw  it,  and  watched  them  in  awe.  .  .  . 

"  One  incident  of  the  first  visit  to  your  father's  room  I 
forgot  to  mention.  Your  mother  was  sitting  in  her  usual 
quiet  way  by  the  window  towards  w^hich  his  bed  faced.  As 
he  was  expressing  his  longing  for  heaven,  he  waved  his 
hand  towards  her  and  said,  '  Not  because  I  want  to  leave 
you,  but  because  I  want  to  be  wdth  him  (pointing  upwards), 
and  you  will  come  soon.' 

"  Affectionately  yours, 

"T.  P.  Epes." 

Dr.  White  completely  recovered  from  his  throat  com- 
plaint that  forced  him  to  suspend  his  ministry.  His  appe- 
tite became  strong   and  his  lungs   perfectly  sound.      His 


234  Last  Hours. 

mind  was  as  clear  and  vigorous  as  ever.  Yet  he  fell  sick  in 
an  unaccountable  manner.  Sinking  spells,  like  the  one  seen 
by  Mr.  Epes,  with  unconsciousness,  lasting  for  several  days, 
followed  one  another  at  intervals  of  different  length. 

In  one  of  these  intervals,  his  physician,  seeing  the  end 
approaching,  cautiously  and  sorrowfully  communicated  his 
fears  to  him,  saying:  'Doctor,  I  am  very  sorry  to  have  to 
inform  you  that,  in  my  judgment,  you  have  not  long  to  live, 
and  to  suggest  that  if  you  have  any  preparation  to  make  you 
had  better  do  so  at  once." 

The  dying  man  looked  up,  and  asked  :  "  Doctor,  how  long 
do  you  think  I  may  live  V 

'•  Only  a  few  days,  at  most,"  said  the  physician. 

"Well,"  rejoined  the  patient,  "you  need  not  be  sorry  to 
tell  me  that;"  and,  with  a  brightening  countenance,  added, 
"  That's  the  best  ne^os  Tve  heard  for  twenty  years'' 

Dming  these  attacks  his  friends  would  generally  lose 
hope.  Yet  the  flame  would  shoot  up  in  the  socket  again ; 
he  would  rally,  and  seem  as  well  as  usual.  At  last  the  ap- 
j)ointed  hour  came.  This  time  the  attack  lasted  several 
days,  and,  on  November  29,  1873,  about  twelve  o'clock  M., 
he  sank  so  gently  that  they  who  were  looking  upon  him 
could  with  difujulty  say  when  he  fell  asleep. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Memoklil  Notices  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  White. 

By  THE  Session  of  the  CHrEcn. — Lines  by  Mrs.  M.  J.  Preston. — 
By  the  Synod  of  Virginia.  — The  Faculty  of  Washington  and 
Lee  University. — The  "Central  Presbyterian." — Rev.  John  S. 
Grasty,  D.  D.  — Rev.  Dr.  Balch.  — Lines  by  Rev.  Dr.  J.  A.  Wad- 
dell. — Memorials  of  Mrs.  White. — By  the  Session  of  the 
Church  and  Mrs.  Preston. 

"  His  life  was  bright— bright  without  spot  it  tvas. 
And  cannot  cea^e  to  be.    No  ominous  hour 
Knocks  at  his  door  with  tidings  of  mishap. 
Far  off  is  he,  above  desire  and  fear  ; 
No  more  submitted  to  the  change  and  chance 
Of  the  unsteady  planets.     Oh  !  'tis  well 
With  him .'" 

By  the  Session  of  the  Church. 

THE  follo\Ying  minute  was  adopted  and  ordered  to  be 
spread  upon  the  records  of  session : 

"  In  tender  remembrance  of  our  former  pastor,  wlio  served 
this  church  in  the  gospel  ministry  for  nearly  twenty  years, 
with  devout  gratitude  to  God  for  the  blessings  conferred 
through  his  instrumentality,  that  we  may  stimulate  ourselves 
to  renewed  diligence  in  our  calhng,  and  that  we  may  present 
to  those  who  may  succeed  in  bearing  rule  over  the  church  an 
example  worthy  of  all  imitation,  we  place  upon  our  records 
the  following  brief  memorial  of  the  Rev.  Wm.  S.  White,  D.  D., 
who  departed  this  life  at  the  residence  of  his  son-in-law,  Mr. 
J.  T.  McCrum,  November  29,  1873,  in  the  seventy- fourth 
year  of  his  age  : 

"  He  was  born  in  Hanover  county,  Va.,  in  the  year  1800. 
He  received  his  collegiate  education  at  Hampden-Siduey 
College,  pursued  his  theological  studies  at  Union  Seminary, 

235 


236  By  the  Session. 

aucl  began  to  i^reach  June,  1827.  His  degree  of  "D.  D."  he 
received  from  Princeton  College,  1851.  He  labored  first  as 
a  domestic  missionary  in  the  counties  of  Nottoway,  Amelia, 
Dinwiddle  and  Lunenburg.  From  Nottoway  he  went  to 
Scottsyille,  Albemarle  county,  ^\liere  he  remained  two  years. 
About  this  time  his  energy  and  j^ractical  skill  in  dealing  with 
men  pointed  him  out  as  an  agent  for  the  American  Tract 
Society,  wdiich  post  he  filled  with  eminent  zeal  and  efficiency. 
In  the  3'ear  1836  he  went  to  Charlottesyille,  where  he  was 
at  the  same  time  pastor  of  the  church  and  the  foimder  of  a 
female  school,  w^hich  took  its  place  among  the  most  popular 
institutions  of  learning  at  that  time  in  Virginia.  He  was 
also,  dm-ing  his  residence  at  Charlottesyille,  chaplain  for  tw^o 
terms  at  the  Uniyersity  of  Virginia,  and  in  1848  he  receiyed 
and  accepted  a  unanimous  call  from  this  church  to  become 
its  pastor.  This  connection,  commenced  at  a  critical  period 
in  the  history  of  this  congregation,  was  continued,  with  un- 
changing fidelity  on  his  part  and  with  undiminished  loye 
on  the  part  of  his  people,  and  without  a  day's  disturbance 
by  offence  or  misunderstanding  on  either  side,  until  it  was 
solemnly  terminated  by  the  providence  of  God,  which  dis- 
abled him  for  active  duty  any  longer.  How  much  grace, 
wisdom,  prudence,  integrity,  self-control,  watchfulness  and 
labor  was  demanded  to  accomplish  this  result  can  be  fully 
comprehended  only  by  those  who  were  connected  with  the 
affairs  of  this  church  immediately  preceding  his  pastorate, 
and  who  mourned  over  the  existing  strife,  bitterness  and 
heart-burning,  and  who  trembled  at  the  imminent  danger 
of  schism  that  w^ould  be  irreconcilable.  How  thankful  were 
we  to  a  gracious  Master  who  rescued  us  from  this  danger, 
and  how  we  admired  our  pastor,  who  with  firm  but  gentle 
hand  gathered  us  into  harmony  again  ! 

"Nor  was  pacification  the  only  or  the  chief  blessing  of 
which  he  was  the  instrument.  It  pleased  God  greatly  to 
enlai'ge  the  membership  of  our  church.     During  his  first  year 


By  the  Session.  237 

foi'ty-two  were  added  b}'  examination ,  in  1854  forty-two  more, 
in  1857  sixty-one ;  and  even  in  the  last  year  of  liis  enfeebled 
labor  there  were  nineteen  additions,  while  each  intervening 
year,  though  less  notable,  bore  steady  fruit.  Few  of  God's 
ministers  in  modern  times  excelled  Dr.  AVhite  in  pastoral  work. 
His  varied  acquaintance  with  men,  and  his  Christian  symi:)a- 
thy,  made  him  trusted  as  a  counsellor  and  sought  for  as  a 
comforter.  Everj^  one  felt  at  ease  in  the  presence  of  so  genial 
a  representative  of  Christianity,  while  at  the  same  time  he 
never  was  tempted  into  levity  unbecoming  his  sacred  pro- 
fession. All  his  varied  excellences  were  conspicuous  and 
charming  in  him  as  moderator  of  session.  Surrounded  by 
his  brethren  and  advisers  he  seemed  to  feel  the  confidence 
in  them  which  he  inspired  for  himself.  Always  well  ac- 
quainted with  the  business  in  hand,  but  never  dogmatic,  he 
skillfully  guided  the  dehberations  of  the  body  to  a  harmoni- 
ous conclusion.  Never  while  he  presided  over  this  session 
was  there  a  single  instance  of  unkindliness  manifested 
among  the  members,  and  very  generally  the  decisions  were 
unanimous.  As  a  member  of  the  higher  courts  of  the  church 
he  was  influential  in  his  wisdom,  his  familiarity  with  the  busi- 
ness before  the  body,  his  unselfishness,  and  his  attractive  man- 
ner of  speaking.  His  standing  with  his  brethren  and  his 
position  in  the  church  at  large  were  all  that  he  could  wish, 
and  the  more  honorable  that,  being  unsought,  they  were  un- 
embittered  by  jealousy.  Nor  was  he  more  remarkable  for 
the  ability  and  steadfastness  with  which  he  supported  his 
own  branch  of  the  church  than  for  his  charity  to  all  sister 
churches.  Nor  did  he  take  his  distinguished  place  because 
he  was  thrown  only  among  men  of  mediocrity.  He  was  the 
cotemporary,  with  more  or  less  difference  of  age,  of  such 
ministers  in  the  Synod  of  Virginia  as  Dr.  Benjamin  Bice,  Dr. 
Baxter,  Dr.  Speece,  Dr.  Ruffner,  Dr.  McFarland,  Dr.  Jesse 
Armistead,  Dr.  McGuffej^  Dr.  Plumer,  and  others.  Like- 
wise, by  his  residence  at  the  University  and  at  Lexington, 


238  By  the  Session. 

lie  was  subjected  to  the  test  of  comparison  -witli  men  noted 
for  more  than  usual  culture.  Also  in  his  day  some  great 
questions  were  agitated.  He  met  with  Jeffersonian  infidel- 
ity about  CharlottesTille ;  he  acted  in  the  controversy  which 
divided  the  Pres-bvterian  Church  in  the  "United  States ;  he 
was  in  the  midst  of  the  great  revival  period,  with  its  j^ower 
and  errors;  the  temperance  movement,  with  its  true  phil- 
anthropy and  hurtful  fanaticism,  called  for  his  considera- 
tion; and  in  his  latter  days  the  relations  of  church  and 
state  were  j)i*^sented  to  view  in  our  late  struggle.  He 
watched  by  the  cradle  of  Union  Seminaiy,  and  labored  all 
his  life  for  its  success. 

"  It  is  not  meant  to  claim  for  Dr.  ^Yhite  any  exaggerated 
importance  in  connection  with  any  of  these  gTeat  questions, 
but  it  is  simple  truth  and  justice  to  affirm  that  never  in  re- 
gard to  any  of  them  did  he  commit  a  serious  error. 

*'Thus  did  it  please  God  in  his  providence  to  test  his 
servant  by  the  vicissitudes  of  a  life  unusually  varied,  and 
thus,  in  the  judgment  of  those  who  knew  him  best  (must 
we  not  believe,  by  the  judgment  of  his  Master?)  he  proved 
himself  true  in  every  relation  of  Hfe — as  husband,  father, 
citizen,  preacher,  pastor.  Christian.  And  one  test  yet  re- 
mained— the  last.  He  had  come  to  us  when  we  were  torn 
by  distraction,  and  we  saw  how,  by  the  grace  of  God,  he 
could  show  the  power  of  religion  in  calming  the  stcjrmy 
waves  of  passion.  Infirmity  came  upon  him,  and  he  ex- 
hibited that  rare  grace  of  humility  in  counting  himself  un- 
able for  the  work  that  was  before  him,  and  so  he  gave  up 
the  church  he  loved,  and  that  loved  him,  into  the  hands  of 
another.  And  yet  another  lesson  he  was  to  learn,  and  teach 
us  while  he  was  learning  it :  the  work  that  he  loved  was  just 
on  the  one  hand,  and  the  crown  was  just  on  the  other ;  but 
he  was  not  j)ermitted  either  to  do  the  work  or  to  take  the 
crown ;  but,  between  the  two,  he  was  called  on  to  lio  uj^on  a 
couch  of  languishing,  and  wait  for  the  words,  '  Well  done. 


By  the  Session.  239 

enter  tliou.'     He  waited  and  taught  us  to  wait,  and  lie  has 
entered  into  the  joy  of  his  Lord. 

"  "We  did  not  drape  in  bhick  the  church  for  his  funeral. 
Wliy  should  we  1  There  was  nothing  mournful  there. 
Elislia  did  not  moiu*n  when  he  saw  the  chariot  that  bore 
Elijah  from  mortal  vision ;  he  cried,  *  !My  father !  my  fa- 
ther! The  chariot  of  Israel,  and  the  horsemen  thereof  I'  — 
anxious  only  not  to  lose  the  ascending  prophet's  mantle.  And 
60  we,  if  we  may  but  share  our  pastor's  spirit,  needed  not  to 
weep  when  we  saw  a  full  hfe  brought  to  a  full  end,  and 
stood  as  a  congregation  with  bended  heads  to  receive  his 
benediction  at  the  close  of  the  noblest  sermon  he  ever 
preached — the  sermon  of  a  perfect  life." 

The  following  lines,  adopted  by. the  session,  were  com- 
posed by  Mrs.  Margaret  J.  Preston,  and  had  the  following 
caption : 

"Harvested. 

"Welliam  S.  White,  D.  D.,  Died  in  Lexington,  Va.,  Novembek  29, 
1873,  Aged  Seventy-thkee. 

* '  It  was  Ifite  in  a  life's  calm  autumn ; 
The  greeu  on  the  blades  grew  sere ; 
And  ripened,  and  rich,  and  mellow, 
The  corn  was  filling  the  ear. 

**In  the  flush  of  the  budding  springtime. 
Had  the  living  seed  been  sown ; 
And  under  the  dews  of  heaven. 
In  shade  and  in  shine  had  grown. 

"The  heat  of  the  noon  would  wither, 
At  times,  its  marrowy  leaves; 
It  bent  to  the  brunt  <  i:  the  tempesv-s 
That  darkened  the  summer  eves. 

' '  He  knew  how  to  temper  and  jiortion 
The  sunlight,  the  cloud,  the  air ; 
He  knew  what  its  root  most  needed. 
He  saw  what  its  blades  could  bear 


240  By  the  Synod. 

•'And  once  and  again  he  loj^ped  it, 
For  sake  of  the  fruit,  he  said ; 
And  bravely  it  bore  the  wounding, 
Tho'  under  the  hurt— it  bled. 

"And  so,  when  the  dim  November 
Came  with  its  mists  at  morn, 
And  the  autumn  frost  into  whiteness 
Was  bleaching  the  tassel'd  corn ; 

'  When  the  golden  ears  were  f ruitened, 
And  the  grain  was  sweet  to  the  core, 
Then  the  Master,  who  saw  it  needed 
To  stand  in  the  field  no  more — 

"For  the  cold  and  the  mould  of  winter 
To  shrivel  and  shrink  its  leaf — 
Said,  Put  in  tky  sickle.  Reaper, 
And  garner  my  fall-ripe  sheaf!'' 

At  a  meeting  of  the  session  of  the  Lexington  Presbyterian 
Church  it  was — 

"  Resolved,  That  Dr.  Pratt  be  requested  to  deliver  a  dis- 
course memorial  of  the  life  and  character  of  Dr.  AVhite." 

By  the  Synod  of  Virginia,  in  Winchester,  October,  1874. 

"  The  Rev.  William  Spottswood  White  departed  this  life 
in  Lexington,  Va. 

"  He  was  born  in  the  county  of  Hanover,  Va.,  July  30, 
1800.  His  parents  were  connected  with  the  congregation 
gathered  in  that  part  of  the  colony  by  the  Rev.  Samuel 
Davies.  His  collegiate  education  was  at  Hampden-Sidnej', 
and  while  a  student  of  that  institution  the  ministry  of  its 
venerable  president.  Dr.  Moses  Hoge,  was  blessed  in  awaken- 
ing such  convictions  of  sin  as  led  to  his  conversion. 

"  His  theological  studies  Avere  pursued  under  the  instruc- 
tion of  the  Rev.  John  H.  Rice,  D.  D.,  and  he  was  one  among 
the  first  students  under  that  eminent  professor  of  theology 
in  Union  Seminary.     He  w  as  hcensed  to  preach  the  gospel 


By  the  Synod.  241 

by  Hauover  Presbytery  in  1827.  His  first  field  of  labor  was 
in  the  counties  of  Nottoway,  Amelia,  Lunenburg  and  Din- 
widdle, bat  after  one  3'ear  it  Avas  mainly  in  Nottoway.  Some- 
time during  his  service  in  this  county  he  was  ordained  to  the 
full  work  of  the  ministry. 

"In  June,  1832,  he  removed  to  Scottsville,  Va.,  and  Avas 
installed  as  pastor  of  the  church  in  that  place.  After  two 
years  of  service  here,  during  which  his  labors  were  greatly 
prospered  and  the  church  greatly  increased,  he  accepted  an 
appointment  as  General  Agent  of  the  Virginia  (a  branch  of 
the  American)  Tract  Society,  with  a  special  reference  to  the 
' volume  enterprise,'  which  AAas  resigned  after  two  }-ears  of 
arduous  and  very  useful  work. 

"In  May,  1836,  he  was  settled  as  pastor  of  the  church  in 
Charlottesville,  giving  for  a  time  a  portion  of  his  labors  to 
the  neighboring  churches  of  Bethel  and  South  Plains.  Dur- 
ing his  residence  here  he  conducted  a  large  and  prosperous 
female  school,  and  w^as  twice  elected  as  chaplain  to  the  Uni- 
versity of  Virginia. 

"  In  September,  1848,  Dr.  White,  having  accepted  a  call 
to  become  the  pastor  of  the  Presbj'terian  Church  in  Lexing- 
ton, Va.,  removed  to  that  place,  which  was  his  home  till 
called  to  rest  from  his  labors. 

"Such  is  a  mere  outline  of  the  princij^al  events  of  this 
long  and  useful  ministry.  If  filled  up  with  the  details  w^hich 
might  be  supplied,  it  would  present  before  us  the  portrait  of 
a  beloved,  devoted  servant  of  Christ,  Avorthy  of  the  admira- 
tion of  all  and  to  be  held  in  everlasting  remembrance.  Our 
departed  brother  was  a  man  of  uncommon  endoAvments. 
With  no  relish  for  metaphysical  subtleties,  or  abstruse  spec- 
ulations of  any  sort,  he  had  a  solid,  vigorous  understanding, 
a  thoroughly  good  common  sense,  a  Avide  knowledge  of  men 
and  the  springs  of  human  action,  together  with  a  remark- 
able tact  in  finding  access  to  them.  He  Avas  an  able,  earnest, 
impressive  and  most  successful  preacher,  Avith  a  rare  gift 
16 


242  By  the  Si-nod. 

for  illustrating  the  subject  in  hand,  both  by  similitudes  and 
by  incidents  of  general  history,  or.  those  which  had  come 
under  his  own  observation.  In  every  field  in  which  he  was 
called  to  labor  his  ministry  had  an  ample  seal  of  the  divine 
blessing.  His  fine  social  qualities,  together  with  his  tender 
sympathy,  amiable,  pacific  disposition,  and  fervent  piety, 
endeared  him  to  all  as  a  friend  and  pastor.  He  was  an  em- 
inently wise,  good  and  loving  husband  and  father,  "and  his 
household  was  a  scene  of  affection  and  peace.  In  every  re- 
lation of  life  he  was  an  example  worthy  of  imitation.  His 
end  w-as  full  of  Christian  peace ;  his  memory  is  precious 
among  us,  and  his  name  remains  among  the  good  and  the 
great  which  so  profusely  adorn  and  enrich  the  history  of 
the  Synod  of  Virginia.  We  thankfully  adore  that  grace  by 
which  Christ  has  been  magnified,  both  in  his  life  and  in  his 
death." 

The  following  account  of  the  memorial  services  of  the 
Synod  of  Virginia,  at  which  the  foregoing  paper  was 
adopted,  is  taken  from  The,  Young  Yivfjinian,  a  monthly 
periodical  edited  by  the  Eev.  William  T.  Price: 

"  Synodic.\l  Memorial  Services. 

"The  services  referred  to  occurred  on  Saturday  morning, 
October  24,  1874,  at  Winchester,  Va.  The  first  hours  of 
the  session  had  been  chiefly  occupied  in  hearing  reports 
from  committees. 

"Dr.  WiUiam  Brown's  paper  was  an  affectionate  tribute 
to  the  memory  of  Eev.  W.  S.  White,  D.  D.,  whose  useful 
labors  in  Nottoway,  Scottsville,  Charlottesville  and  Lexing- 
ton, along  with  abundant  services  in  other  departments  and 
places,  and  exemplary  Christian  hfe,  have  rendered  his  name 
very  precious  to  the  whole  church. 

"Profound  silence  reigned  over  the  assembly,  and  every 
sentence  was  heeded  that  told  how  good  and  faithful 
brethi-en  had  toiled,  triumphed  and  died.     After  a  momen- 


By  the  Synod.  243 

taiy  pause,  upon  the  conclusion  of  tlie  memorial,  Rev.  Dr. 
Preston,  of  the  First  Church,  Richmond,  one  of  Dr.  AMiite's 
spiritual  sons,  felt  constrained  by  his  emotions  to  arise,  and, 
with  words  tremulous  with  filial  admiration,  bore  touching 
witness  to  the  usefulness  of  that  pastor,  in  his  opinion  the 
grandest  and  best  of  his  race.  He  hoped  that  other  breth- 
ren would  be  encouraged  to  labor  on  in  hope,  so  that,  ^lien 
they  passed  away,  some  spiritual  son  would  rise  up  and  call 
their  memory  blessed. 

"Dr.  Pryor,  the  friend  of  Dr.  "Wliite's  youth,  who  had 
known  him  intimately  all  his  ministerial  life,  referred  sweetly 
to  the  lovely  and  pleasant  relations  that  had  ever  existed  be- 
tween them. 

"He  called  attention  to  the  fact,  that  while  Dr.  White  was 
received  into  the  church  by  Dr.  Hoge,  and  had  been  greatly 
influenced  by  his  ministry,  j^et  the  first  permanent  and  sav- 
ing impressions  were  made  by  the  fidelity  of  the  Eev.  E. 
Pollard,  an  humble  and  obscure  licentiate.  This  person,  a 
licensed  minister,  never  received  a  call,  and  was  never  or- 
dained. He  visited  the  outposts  of  Hanover  Presbyteiy, 
trying  to  do  good  wherever  he  could  induce  any  to  hear 
him. 

"!Mi'.  Pollard  became  much  interested  in  young  White's 
spiritual  welfare,  and  having  met  him  one  Sabbath  afternoon 
near  Hampden-Sidney,  he  conversed  with  him  on  the  sub- 
ject of  rehgion,  and  the  student  was  savingly  impressed. 

"This  fact  was  mentioned,  Dr.  Pryor  said,  to  encourage 
brethren  in  humble  spheres  of  service  to  work  ior  Jesus,  and 
he  may  use  their  works  in  bringing  about  grand  results. 

"Dr.  B.  M.  Smith  felt  that,  as  mention  had  been  made  of 
Dr.  Moses  Hoge's  influence,  it  was  also  due  to  the  memory 
of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Pollard  to  say,  that  his  instructions  had 
been  rendered  very  influential  by  the  divine  blessing  in 
moulding  the  character  of  the  useful  pastor,  Dr.  White, 
w^hose  life  the  Synod  now  commemorated. 


244  By  tue  Synod. 

"The  frequency  -with  which  God  blesses  humble  men  in 
working  out  great  results  should  be  an  encouragement  to  us 
all  to  labor  in  season  and  out  of  season.  The  speaker  agreed 
to  what  had  been  said  of  Dr.  White,  that,  while  great  and 
noble,  he  succeeded  because  he  looked  for  and  received 
power  from  above,  and  so  consecrated  his  time,  talents  and 
opportunities.  Like  greatness  and  usefulness  might  be  at- 
tained by  us  all,  were  each  to  make  the  life-long  effort  to 
use  faithfully  the  gifts  bestowed  upon  him,  and  to  seek  con- 
tinually the  indwelling  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

"  The  last  to  speak  was  the  Rev.  Dr.  Kirkpatrick,  whose 
privilege  it  was  to  enjoy  precious  seasons  of  prayer  and  con- 
versation with  Dr.  "White  in  his  last  days.  On  the  sj^eaker's 
I'eturn  from  the  previous  meeting  of  Synod,  he  heard  of  his 
alarming  illness,  and  hastened  at  once  to  his  bedside.  What 
he  said  in  that  interview  amounted  to  this :  *  My  work  on 
earth  is  done,  and  I  wish  to  be  where  I  can  begin  anew  my 
Saviour's  service.' 

"On  the  evening  preceding  his  death,  he  was  heard  to  say, 
*I  want  home.'  It  was  supposed  that  dehrium  had  returned, 
and  one  said  to  him,  'You  are  at  home.'  *0  yes,'  he  said, 
*I  know  I  am  at  home,  and  a  better  home  none  need  ever 
want;  but  I  want  the  home  where  my  Saviour  is.' 

"  He  soon  after  went  home.  A  place  had  been  prepared 
for  him,  and  Jesus  had  come,  as  he  promised.  Truly  it  is 
a  great  blessing  to  be  able  to  look  upon  heaven  as  our 
home. 

"At  this  point  it  hapj)ily  occuiTed  that  a  ministerial  brother, 
the  Eev.  J.  M.  Clymer,  proposed  that  Synod  would  unite  in 
singing  these  stanzas  of  the  635th  hymn: 


■■t>^ 


'  I  would  not  live  alway,  I  ask  not  to  stay, 
Where  storm  after  storm  rises  dark  o'er  the  way ; 
The  few  lurid  mornings  that  dawn  on  us  here, 
Are  enough  for  life's  woes,  full  enough  for  its  cheer. 


By  the  Synod.  245 

*'  *I  woulil  not  live  ahvay,  thus  fettered  by  siii, 
Temptatiou  without,  corruption  within. 
E'eu  the  rapture  of  ])ardon  is  mingled  with  fears, 
And  the  cup  of  thanksgiving  with  penitent  tears. 

*'  'Who,  who  would  live  alway,  away  from  his  God, 
Away  from  you  heaven,  that  blissful  abode, 
Where  the  rivers  of  pleasure  flow  o'er  the  bright  plains, 
And  the  noontide  of  glory  eternally  reigns — ■ 

"  '  Where  the  saints  of  all  ages  in  harmony  meet. 
Their  Saviour  and  brethren  transported  to  greet ; 
While  the  anthems  of  rajiture  unceasingly  roll. 
And  the  smile  of  the  Lord  is  the  feast  of  the  soul  ?' 

"  These  appropriate  words  were  sung  with  much  emotion, 
and  then  all  bowed  in  prayer,  while  the  minister  who  had 
prayed  at  the  bedside  of  the  dying  pastor,  'who  wanted 
home,'  led  the  Synod.  It  was  asked  of  God  that  the  memo- 
rials just  read  might  be  the  means  of  encouraging  the 
brethren  to  gird  anew  for  the  conflicts  before  them,  and 
that  all  may  be  so  admonished  to  number  their  days  as  to 
apply  their  hearts  unto  wisdom.  Ui^on  rising  from  prayer, 
the  motion  was  put,  in  a  tender  and  subdued  tone,  and  car- 
ried, that  unanimously  adopted  the  memorial  i,  and  ordered 
them  to  be  recorded. 

"  Not  a  member  present  wiU  soon  forget  that  memorable 
hour,  and  aU  hearts  seemed  fused  in  one  by  the  hallowed  in- 
fluences that  reigned  over  the  vast  assembly.  It  was  a 
solemn  and  tender  prelude  to  the  services  of  another  memo- 
rial scene,  to  which  many  were  looking  forward  on  the  fol- 
lowing Sabbath  afternoon.  It  is  well  to  make  solemn  and 
sj)ecial  mention  of  the  holy  dead: 

' ' '  For  the  bright  memories  of  the  holy  dead, 
The  blessed  ones  departed,  shine  on  us. 
Like  the  pure  splendors  of  some  clear,  large  star, 
Which  pilgrims,  travelling  onward,  at  their  back 
Leave,  and  at  every  moment  see  not  now; 
Yet  whensoe'er  they  list,  may  pause  and  turn. 
And  with  its  glories  gild  their  iacts  still.'  " 


246  Faculty  of  the  ITntversity. 

By  the  Faculty  of  Washington  and  Lee  University. 
"  Washington  and  Lee  Unh^ersity,  JJcg.  1, 1873. 

*'At  a  meeting  of  the  Faculty  held  this  da}^  the  following 
minute  touching  the  death  of  Rev.  Wilham  S.  White,  D.  D., 
was  adopted: 

"  The  Faculty  of  Washington  and  Lee  University  have  re- 
ceived with  profound  sorrow  the  intelhgence  of  the  death, 
on  the  29th  ult.,  of  the  venerable  Dr.  Wm.  S.  White,  for 
many  years  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Chui'ch  in  this  place, 
and  during  a  part  of  that  time  member  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees  of  thio  institution.  He  was  also  the  father  of  an 
esteemed  colleague,  Professor  J.  J.  White.  Thi-oughout  the 
term  of  his  residence  in  our  community.  Dr.  W^hite  was  the 
active,  imtiriug  friend  of  this  institution,  and,  in  every  way 
possible  to  him,  sought  to  promote  its  interests.  His  in- 
fluence over  its  students,  both  from  the  pulpit  and  in  private 
intercourse,  was  great  and  ever  salutary.  For  these  sei^vices 
we  must  long  hold  his  name  in  grateful  and  honorable  remem- 
brance. 

"Apart  from  the  claims  on  our  regards  above  mentioned, 
Dr.  White  was  worthy  of  the  highest  respect  for  his  eminent 
usefulness  as  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  and  fur  the  almost 
unequalled  confidence  and  affection  bestowed  on  him,  not  by 
the  members  of  his  own  communion  only,  but  also  by  those 
of  other  branches  of  the  Christian  church,  and  by  the  pub- 
lic at  large.  He  was  a  man  of  an  enlarged  catholic  spirit, 
of  wide  benevolence  and  most  attractive  i)iety,  an  able  ad- 
vocate of  truth  and  righteousness,  a  true  type  of  the  Chris- 
tian gentleman. 

"The  Faculty  further  express  their  gratification  with  the 
order  of  the  President  suspending  for  this  day  all  academic 
exercises,  that  the  members  of  the  University  may  attend 
the  obsequies  of  one  so  well  entitled  to  all  the  resj^ect  they 
could  i^ay  to  his  memoiy." 

"From  the  minutes  of  the  Faculty.        W^m.  Dold,  Clerk.'* 


The  Central  Presbyterian.  24:7 

An  editorial  in  The  Central  Presbyterian,  by  the  Rev.  Dr. 
"Wm.  Brown: 

"  Death  of  Eev.  Wm.  S.  White,  D.  D. 

"This  venerable  minister  of  the  gospel  'entered  into  rest' 
on  Saturday,  the  29th  ult.  His  age  was  seventy-three  years. 
T^^iile  the  intelligence  of  his  departure  cannot  surprise  any 
who  knew  that  his  health  had  been  for  j^ears  quite  infirm, 
yet  there  are  very  many  who  will  think  with  sorrow  that 
they  can  see  his  face  no  more,  never  again  hear  a  voice  which 
so  earnestly  and  powerfully  proclaimed  to  them  the  precious 
message  of  salvation.  .  .  . 

"About  the  close  of  the  late  eventful  war,  there  were 
manifest  tokens  that  his  health  was  giving  way,  and  as  soon 
as  the  hne  of  duty  Avas  made  plain,  he  resigned  his  respon- 
sible trust,  laboring  on,  however,  in  another  sphere  (in  charge 
of  the  Ann  Smith  Academy),  .till  the  forces  of  life  were  too 
far  spent  for  longer  service.  From  that  time  he  knev  tli.it 
his  active  work  was  done.  With  three  of  his  children  im- 
mediately around  him,  in  the  midst  of  a  people  whom  he 
had  so  long  loved  and  served,  and  b}^  whom  he  was  cherished 
with  a  warm  affection,  he  felt  that  he  had  little  to  do  but  to 
*wait  all  his  appointed  days  till  his  change  should  come.'  It 
was  our  privilege  to  see  him  last  September,  and  to  find 
during  an  interview  of  two  hours  how  completely  cheerful 
and  happy  were  his  last  days.  We  tal]j:ed  of  the  past,  of 
the  present,  and  of  the  future,  and  concerning  it  all  he 
seemed  about  as  thankful  and  hopeful  as  a  man  could  l)e.  .  . 

"His  decline  was  gradual;  and  while  unable  to  engage  in 
active  duty,  he  was  at  times  able  to  make  visits  to  his  chil- 
dren distant  from  him,  and  when  at  home  to  be  occasionally 
present  at  the  worship  of  the  sanctuary — all  of  which  were 
greatly  enjoyed.  While  never  losing  his  interest  in  matters 
affecting  the  good  of  society  or  of  the  State,  and  especially 
of  the  church,  yet  he  frequently  spoke  of  dying,  and  would 


248  The  Central  Presbyterian. 

say  that,  as  he  could  do  nothing  more  here,  he  prayed  for 
death,  remarking  that  he  did  not  think  it  wrong  to  l^ray  for 
death  any  more  than  to  pray  for  life,  but  all  in  submission 
to  the  divine  will.  Since  the  failure  of  his  health,  he  would 
often  lament  that  he  was  so  useless,  and  would  say  that,  as 
his  work  on  earth  was  done,  he  wished  it  to  begin  in  heaven. 
He  frequently  remarked  that  he  had  outlived  most  of  his 
cotemporaries,  and  had  more  friends  in  heaven  than  he  had 
on  earth,  and  he  took  the  greatest  pleasure  in  naming  them, 
and  in  anticipating  an  early  meeting  with  them  above. 

"For  more  than  two  weeks  before  his  decease  he  had 
been  confined  to  his  bed  with  a  severe  cold.  On  Saturday, 
the  22nd  ult.,  he  grew  decidedly  worse,  and  gradually  sank 
down  into  the  arms  of  death  without  any  acute  suffering. 
On  that  day  he  said  to  Mrs.  White,  'I  want  to  go  home.' 
Thinking  that  his  mind  was  perhaps  wandering,  she  replied, 
'You  are  at  home.'  '  O  yes,'  he  answered,  '  this  is  my  earthly 
home,  but  I  want  to  go  to  my  heavenly  home.' 

"On  Sunday,  the  23rd,  v.hen  he  was  thought  to  be  dying, 
a  number  of  his  old  friends  came  in  to  take  a  last  farewell. 
Observing  that  there  was  something  unusual  taking  place, 
and  seeming  to  understand  what  was  apprehended,  he  said, 
'This  is  a  small  matter,  a  very  small  matter.' 

"  During  his  last  hours,  when  he  seemed  to  know  nothing 
else,  if  asked,  'Do  you  know  Jesus  Christ?' — 'O  yes,'  he 
would  reply,  'he  is  my  Saviour.' 

"About  midnight  he  fell  into  a  sleep,  from  which  he  did 
not  again  awake  in  this  life.  But  about  midday  on  the  24th 
he  breathed  his  last,  without  the  least  struggle  or  appear- 
ance of  pain,  and  'entered  into  rest.' 

"Thus  was  the  dear  old  pastor  safely  'harvested,'  accord- 
ing to  the  sentiment  so  beautifully  expressed  on  another 
page  by  one  who  knew  and  loved  him  well:  'Thou  shalt 
come  to  thy  grave  in  a  full  age,  like  as  a  shock  of  corn 
Cometh  in  his  season. ' 


The  Central  Presbyterian.  249 

"There  is  only  One  who  'kno^yeth  our  frame  perfectly, 
"but  even  we  can  discern  to  some  extent  the  imperfections  of 
one  another,  even  of  the  best.  But  those  who  had  the  most 
thorough  knowledge  of  this  good  man  wull  say  most  confi- 
dently that  such  was  his  character  and  such  his  life,  that  his 
presence  in  any  community  was  %n  unspeakable  blessing-  to 
it.  In  his  family,  no  wife  could  mourn  a  more  devoted  hus- 
band, no  children  a  more  devoted  father — 'they  rise  up  and 
call  him  blessed.' 

*'As  a  man,  he  was  eminently  amiable  and  friendly;  as  a 
citizen,  upright  and  patriotic  He  was  '  an  able  minister  of 
the  New  Testament.'  While  not  given  to  the  profounder 
studies  useful^  explored  by  some,  he  w^as  endowed  AA'itli  a 
A-igorous  mind,  which  enabled  him  to  hold  his  suliject  under 
the  grasp  of  a  strong  common  sense.  This  was  aided  l)y  a 
remarkable  power  of  illustration,  drawn  both  from  facts  and 
similitudes.  He  had  a  benevolent  countenance,  a  brilliant, 
expressive  eye,  and  a  voice  of  great  compass  and  power.  All 
these,  animated  by  a  heart  full  of  devout  affections,  rendered 
his  preaching  often  highly  impressive. 

"His  social  talent  was  admirable.  Full  of  anecdote  and 
reminiscences  of  the  times  through  which  he  had  passed, 
cheerful  even  to  hilarity,  3'et  ever  ready,  and  without  any  af- 
fectation, to  turn  his  mind  to  the  most  serious  things,  his 
company  was  sought  and  welcomed  not  less  by  the  youngest 
than  by  the  oldest.  He  was  exceedingly  beloved  as  a  pastor, 
and  there  are  thousands  of  good  people  in  Virginia  who,  as 
they  receive  the  tidings  of  his  death,  will  think  of  years  gone 
by,  when,  in  some  season  of  affliction,  or  other  occasion  in 
the  family  circle,  or  going  to  the  house  of  God  in  company, 
they  'took  sweet  counsel  together.' 

"These  remarks  could  be  much  extended,  as  memory 
brings  up  its  stores  of  the  past ;  but  let  this  sufiice,  as  in- 
dicating our  estimate  of  a  beloved  brother  so  \\-idely  known, 
so  greatly  revered,  and  who  is  now  everywhere  so  sincerely 


250  PvEv.  Dr.  Grasty. 

lamented.  Blessed  be  his  memoiy !  Thanks  be  to  him  by 
whose  ascension  to  heaven  such  pastors  are  given  to  the 
church  *for  the  work  of  the  ministiy,  and  for  the  edifying 
of  the  body  of  Christ,'  and  under  whose  intercession  they 
are  translated  to  the  church  triumphant  above." 

"[T^or  tlie  Christian  Observer. 
"  Sketch  of  the  Kev.  Wm.  S.  WmTE,  D.  D. 
"By  the  Kev.  J.  S.  Geasty,  D.  D. 
"  During  the  last  two  j^ears  the  Synod  of  Virginia  has  lost 
three  of  its  most  distinguished  members.  Dr.  Eamsey  went 
first,  then  Dr.  Bocock,  and  now  Dr.  White  follows  Dr. 
Eamsey  was  a  laborious,  patient,  accurate  expounder  of  the 
word,  and,  imder  the  system  which  he  adopted  in  connec- 
tion with  such  preaching,  his  congregation  grew  steadily, 
and  the  flock  were  noted  for  their  attainments  in  scriptural 
knowledge.  Dr.  Bocock  was  scholarly,  impetuous,  bold, 
eloquent,  and  though  irregular  and  somewhat  eccentric,  rose 
at  times  to  the  very  highest  pitch  of  pulpit  eloquence.  Dr. 
White  was  a  man  between  these  two,  and  possessed  a  com- 
bination of  qualities  that  are  rarely  found  to  unite  in  any 
single  individual. 

"  The  impression  that  young  White  made  in  college  and 
at  the  Seminar^',  upon  professors,  students  and  the  com- 
munity generally,  was  favorable  and  pleasant.  Unhke  many, 
he  had  no  blunders  committed  at  this  period  of  preparation 
to  mourn  over  in  the  future.  His  manner  w^as  so  consistent, 
his  piety  so  symmetrical,  his  procedure  throughout  so  pro- 
per, that  comrades  and  all  others  pointed  to  him  as  a  model. 
The  memory  of  his  exemplary  life  remained  fresh  down  to 
the  period  w^hen  the  writer  himself  became  a  student  in 
Prince  Edward. 

"After  completing  his  course  of  theological  study,  under 
Drs.  Hoge  and  Eice,  he  entered  upon  the  work  of  the  min- 
istry in  a  missionary  field  embracing  Nottowaj^  and  the  ad- 


Rev.  Dr.  Grasty.  251 

joining  counties.  The  sphere  chosen  was  unambitious,  but 
it  aflbrded  material  adapted  exactly  to  develop  those  quali- 
ties in  the  young  minister  which,  in  the  ripeness  of  manhood, 
were  to  make  him  so  useful.  Had  this  preacher,  as  others 
have  done,  waited  for  a  call  to  a  large  place,  and  with  a  sal- 
ary to  correspond,  the  whole  current  of  his  work  and  char- 
acter would  have  been  mournfulK  marred.  But,  after  con- 
sultation with  wise  men  and  good,  he  selected  a  region  of 
country  that  seemed  to  need,  more  than  any  other,  the  min- 
istrations of  the  word.  And  yet  young  White,  iuipeded  as 
he  was  by  certain  infirmities  of  the  fiesh,  might,  with  a  fair 
show  of  reason,  have  excused  himself  from  a  field  whose 
duties  demanded  physical  endurance.  But  this  bodily  hin- 
drance did  not  move  him,  neither  was  he  driven  from  his 
purpose  by  the  fear  of  meagre  compensation. 

"  Souls  were  to  be  saved,  there  w^as  a  likelihood  of  useful- 
ness, the  people  wanted  him,  and  the  youthful  minister 
stood  ready  to  make  the  experiment.  And  in  this  case,  as 
in  every  other,  the  bed  is  easy  just  in  proportion  as  the  hand 
of  providence  helps  to  make  it  for  us.  Trouble  that  often 
follows  the  preacher  through  life  can  be  traced,  for  the  most 
part,  to  a  wrong  step  in  the  beginning.  The  laborer,  either 
through  unhallowed  motives  or  else  from  failure  to  enquire 
prayerfully  and  submissively  about  duty,  rushes  into  a  sec- 
tion of  the  vineyard  unadapted  to  his  talent.  Mischief  and 
sorrow  ensue,  and  then  the  rumor  of  these  complications 
becomes  the  source  of  further  trials.  Happy  indeed  is  the 
young  minister  who  can  go  Avithout  complaint  to  any  position 
in  the  church  where  the  Master  calls. 

"Those  missionary  days  in  Nottoway  were  a  period  to 
which  Dr.  White  ever  looked  back  with  satisfaction  and  de- 
Hght.  It  was  then  that  he  gathered  those  stores  of  infor- 
mation in  regard  to  persons  of  every  rank  that  fitted  him 
afterwards  to  discharge  those  responsible  and  delicate  tasks 
entrusted  to  his  prudence.     And  here,   as  elsewhere,  one 


252  Eev.  Dr.  Grasty. 

whom  God  designed  for  prominence  is  passed  tlirongli  a 
school  of  discipline  and  preparation  adapted  to  this  end. 
Nottoway,  in  those  days,  offered  to  the  preacher  opportinii- 
ties  to  observe  mankind  in  every  grade  of  society,  from  the 
highest  to  the  lowest,  and  Dr.  White  was  the  very  man  to 
avail  himself  of  the  opening.  Hence  at  one  time  he  was 
found  in  the  cabin  of  '  Uncle  Jack,'  and  then  again  seated  a 
welcome  guest  in  the  mansion  of  the  refined,  cultured  and 
gifted  Dr.  Jones.  Nor  did  this  contact  with  the  opposites 
of  society  ever  compromise  the  minister.  But  the  very  con- 
trary of  this  was  the  invariable  result.  The  missionary 
went  from  house  to  house,  and  from  famihar  intercourse 
with  the  peoj^le  learned  to  know  their  wants,  and  then,  when 
Sabbath  came,  the  discourse  was  so  framed  as  to  suit  the 
needs  of  every  one,  from  the  wealthiest  down  to  the  very 
poorest.  Dr.  "White  was  deeply  pious,  loved  the  gospel  sin- 
cerely, and  preached  it  in  simplicity.  He  possessed  the 
j)ower  of  adaptation  so  remarkably  that  each  class  in  the 
community  claimed  him  for  its  preacher.  And  yet  no  one 
ever  charged  the  minister  with  selfishness  and  insincerity. 
He  strove  after  plainness  of  speech,  so  that  the  ignorant  and 
*  waj^faring '  might  get  their  portion  in  due  season. 

"  Among  his  hearers  was  a  large  element  of  the  colored 
race.  In  his  sermons  he  ever  remembered  the  necessities 
of  these  untutored  ones.  He  even  held  special  services  for 
their  benefit.  As  a  warning  to  young  preachers  against 
high-sounding  and  far-fetched  words,  the  Doctor  frequently 
related  the  following:  'One  afternoon,  an  appointment  for 
the  negroes,  I  called  upon  a  visiting  brother  to  occupj^  my 
place.  He  consented,  and  began  the  sermon  with  these 
words,  '  My  friends,  it  is  in  morals  as  in  physics,  like  causes 
produce  like  results.'  AYhen  the  services  were  over  I  ven- 
tured to  enquire  of  a  colored  man  what  he  thought  of  the 
preaching.  He  responded  with  feeling,  'Master,  I  did  not 
like  that  sennon ;  it  had  too  much,  phi/sic  in  it  for  me.' 


Rev.  Dr.  Grasty,  253 

"  Dr.  White's  bearing  was  so  manly  and  unexceptionaole, 
and  withal  so  uniformly  courteous  and  gentle,  that  every 
family  and  individual  over  his  wide  district  hailed  him  as  a 
friend ;  for  in  his  open,  nol)le  countenance  it  could  be  read 
instinctively  that  the  heart  of  this  servant  of  Christ  beat 
kindly  toward  all.  Hence,  during  every  year  of  his  sojourn 
in  Nottoway,  he  gained  ground  with  the  entire  population, 
and  the  friends  he  made  there  remained  steadfast  to  the 
end.  So  deeply  did  he  grow  into  the  confidence  and  affec- 
tion of  the  people  that  the  prospect  of  losing  him  awakened 
anxiety  and  universal  regret ;  for  he  had  slowly,  but  surely, 
worked  his  way  to  a  position  whence  he  could  be  heartily  wel- 
comed to  a  thousand  Virginia  homes.  His  coming,  without 
an  exception,  was  anticipated  with  pleasure,  and  the  an- 
nouncement that  he  would  preach  at  any  place  drew  forth 
lai'ge  congregations. 

"AMiat  Dr.  White  was  in  efficiency  in  this  field  of  labor 
he  continued  to  be  as  the  agent  of  the  American  Tract  So- 
ciety, and  as  pastor,  teacher  and  chaplain  in  Charlottesvillo 
and  at  the  University  of  Virginia.  Indeed,  these  last  i^osi- 
tions  offered  still  broader  opportunities  for  the  natural  bent 
of  his  mind,  whilst  it  widened,  almost  without  limit,  the  cii'- 
cle  of  his  acquaintance;  for  at  this  time  he  was  thrown 
into  contact  with  learned  professors ;  and  as  the  instructor 
of  young  ladies  and  chaplain  for  young  men,  he  possessed 
advantages  for  the  study  of  the  disposition  of  the  two  sexes 
rarely  ever  surpassed.  And  these  facilities  were  eagerly 
improved.  Youth  from  every  section  of  the  land  took  home 
j)leasant  recollections  of  the  teacher  and  the  preacher,  and 
in  after  years  Dr.  "WTiite  never  visited  a  neighborhood  where 
he  did  not  find  some  friend  of  his  earlier  days  waiting  to  re- 
ceive him.  .  .  . 

"This  man  has  gone  to  his  rest  full  of  years  and  full  of 
honors,  and  the  Virginia  SjTiod  scarcely  ever  lost  a  member 
whose  name  is  as  famihar  in  so  many  households,  and  whose 


254  Eev.  Dr.  Geasty. 

labors  while  living  were  acceptable  to  a  greater  range  of  cul- 
ture or  to  a  greater  variety  in  social  standing.  Considered, 
therefore,  from  the  standpoint  of  natural  gifts,  and  the  po- 
sitions that  he  filled,  and  the  way  in  which  he  filled  them, 
the  ministerial  career  of  Dr.  White  was  a  splendid  success, 
and  deserves,  as  much  as  that  of  any  other  pastor  or  preacher 
of  the  present  time,  to  be  held  up  for  imitation  before  the 
minds  of  the  young  ministers  of  to-day. 

"  The  Balance  or  Character. 
"Before  this  sketch  is  closed  it  will  be  well  to  inquire 
into  the  precise  qualities  that  entered  into  the  mind  and 
heart  of  a  man  w^ho  accomplished  so  much,  and  this  without 
painful  friction.  Especially  among  young  men  it  is  a  fashion 
to  judge  of  intellectual  excellence  by  the  presence  of  some 
one  endowment  that  overtoj)S  all  the  rest.  The  speaker 
who  startles  with  scintillations  of  fancy,  the  logician  who 
puzzles  with  his  logic,  a  public  caterer  of  any  kind  who 
makes  a  specific  branch  of  study,  this  individual  attracts 
the  youthful  imagination,  and  is  denominated  a  genius. 
Measui'ed  by  such  a  standard  as  this.  Dr.  "WTiite  came  mani- 
festly short.  There  was  scarcely  a  single  thing  in  the  whole 
compass  of  action  or  of  thought  in  which  Dr.  AMiite  excelled 
that  was  dependent  upon  the  exercise  of  one  faculty  by  it- 
self. There  was  altogether  too  much  breadth  about  his 
mental  powers  for  this.  It  would  be  healthful  for  our  youth 
to  comprehend  the  fact  that  eccentricities  of  every  kind  are 
not  a  sip^n  of  strength,  but  of  weakness.  Intellect  of  the 
highest  tyx^e  is  capacious  at  all  points.  It  was  difficult  for 
Goethe's  friends  to  determine  whether  this  most  gifted  son 
of  Germany  ought  t  j  be  poet,  philosopher,  statesman,  orator, 
or  the  commander  of  an  army.  And  the  same  was  true  of 
Napoleon,  Juhus  Ctesar,  Mahomet  and  others.  The  more 
exalted  and  varied  the  gifts  in  the  mind- world,  the  fewer  the 
irregularities. 


Rev.  Dr.  Grasty.  255 

"  The  secret  of  Dr.  White's  success  was  in  the  nice  hdance 
of  forces.  In  his  finely-developed  intellect  every  faculty  had 
a  place,  and  it  was  these  in  combination  that  produced  re- 
sults so  opportune.  "VVlien  sitting  with  him  in  the  Board  of 
Visitors  at  Union  Theological  Seminary,  or  watching  his 
processes  upon  the  floor  of  Synod,  in  both  of  which  bodies 
lie  stood  among  the  foremost,  I  observed  that  while  other 
debaters  pressed  a  single  point  with  skill.  Dr.  "Wliite  usually 
went  over  the  case  in  all  its  parts.  It  was  not  that  he  was 
equal  to  Dr.  Ramsey  in  his  exhaustive  methods  of  research, 
or  to  Dr.  Bocock  in  the  ardent,  scholarly,  eloquent  outburst 
of  thought,  but  his  p  )wer  consisted  in  this,  that  while  cer- 
tain men  of  rare,  particular  gifts  occasionally  succeeded 
grandly,  this  man  almost  invariably  drove  the  nail  directly 
into  the  right  j^liice. 

''  He  seldjm  mistook  his  man  or  the  temjDer  of  an  assem- 
bly before  which  he  stood.  With  a  temperament  that  c,  r- 
responded  in  its  make-up  with  his  mental  gifts,  he  warily 
"watched  the  main  chance,  and  was  ready  when  the  moment 
came.  As  a  pastor,  for  instance,  he  was  ever  en  rapport 
with  elders,  and  this  not  because  he  lacked  force  of  will,  for 
no  man  destitute  of  vigor  could  have  filled  such  positions, 
but  because  he  collected  the  particulars  of  disposition  and 
character,  and  then,  -s^ith  the  certainty  of  deduction,  calcu- 
lated the  opinions,  prejudices  and  weight  of  each.  And 
ha\'ing  these  at  command  beforehand,  he  knew  precisely 
how  to  act.  And  I  will  here  venture  to  surmise  that  he 
never,  in  his  entire  miuistiy,  forced  a  measure  through  the 
session.  And  yet  no  pastor's  purposes  were  ever  more  fully 
carried  out.  Dr.  White  was  a  diplomat,  but  with  conscience 
always  uppermost.  He  usually  accomplished  his  plans,  but 
did  this  in  such  a  way  as  to  leave  no  room  for  gall.  He 
watched  and  often  waited  for  the  fruit  to  ripen,  that  with  a 
gentle  touch  he  might  bring  it  to  his  hand. 

"  He  was  careful  not  to  lose,  if  possible,  a  friend  already 


256  Rev.  Dr.  Grasty. 

gained,  whilst  lie  would  turn  aside,  through  heat  or  cold,  to 
add  another  to  the  list;  for  he  considered  that,  to  a  min- 
ister more  particular^,  there  was  power  in  the  multiplica- 
tion of  sterhng  friendships.  Yea,  it  was  even  best,  if  princi- 
ple allowed,  to  have  the  good  washes  of  the  humblest,  since 
in  the  mutations  of  life  the  enmity  of  the  feeble  may  be 
turned  into  an  annoyance  or  else  a  serious  hurt. 

"Most  earnestl}''  did  Dr.  White  seek  to  make  friends 
among  his  younger  brethren.  And  the  wisdom  of  this 
course  was  justified  fully  by  the  sequel ;  for  in  every  Pres- 
tery  of  the  Old  Dominion  and  all  over  the  South  there  are 
scores  and  hundreds  of  ministers  who  cherish  gratitude  in 
their  hearts  for  the  cheering  words  of  counsel  spoken  to 
them  in  days  of  inexperience  by  this  faithful  father  in  Is- 
rael. And  there  is  not  a  man  of  this  number  who  did  not 
rejoice  in  every  good  thing  v^  Inch  befell  the  Lexington  pas- 
tor; and  the  poorest  of  them  all,  had  necessity  arisen,  w^ould 
have  divided  to  him  of  the  weal  which  fell  to  his  lot.  Dis- 
regarding such  wdsdom  as  this,  there  have  been  '  fathers ' 
whose  bearing  towards  their  juniors  savored  of  exaction  and 
severity;  and  while  these  w^ere  tolerated  for  their  ability, 
yet  they  elicited  no  affection,  and  upon  the  conscience  and 
recollection  abided  no  sense  of  obligation.  Such  men  w^ere 
feared  rather  than  loved,  and  when  missed  in  the  courts,  the 
absence  of  these  eensores  inorum  was  rather  a  rehef  than  a 
sorrow. 

"Moreover,  there  was  so  much  of  soundness  in  the  moral, 
intellectual  and  physical  constitution  of  Dr.  A\Tiite,  that  he 
never  ceased  to  be  interested  in  everything  which  concerned 
the  individual,  the  family,  society,  and  the  church  of  God. 
And  while  a  gentleman  of  the  truest  dignity,  never  indulg- 
ing in  a  doubtful  expression  or  act,  yet  he  was  wide  awake 
to  refined  humor,  and  enjoyed  a  laugh  with  the  heartiness 
of  a  boy.  It  made  one  think  better  of  his  species  to  witness 
the  freedom  of  this  man's  soul  from  the  envious,  morose, 


Rev.  Dii.  Grasty.  257 

complaining-  and  uncliaritablc;  for  in  the  Hiinshine  and 
hopefulness  of  his  sympathizing-  spirit,  it  was  impossible  for 
anything  foreboding-  and  spiteful  long  to  exist.  He  was  a 
husband  of  whom  the  noble  wife  of  his  bosom  might  be 
proud;  a  father,  upon  whose  children,  if  his  mantle  fall, 
hajDpy-will  it  be  for  them,  as  it  shall  be  a  happiness  again 
to  those  who  are  to  follow.  Dr.  White,  like  God's  servant 
of  old,  ruled  his  own  house ;  but  he  ruled  it  rather  through 
example  than  by  oft-repeated  words.  The  even  tenor  of  his 
days,  the  joy  that  beamed  in  his  open  and  ingenuous  face, 
that  harvest  which  came  to  him  so  rit-hly  as  the  result  of  his 
ovm  timely  sowing — these  ^-isible  evidences  of  how  much  bet- 
ter it  is  to  be  kind  and  true  and  good,  went  further  than  a 
thousand  sermons  to  impress  upon  the  family  the  policy  of 
high  manhood. 

"Judged  by  the  criterion  of  the  schools.  Dr.  White  was 
not  a  great  preacher;  and  3'et,  tested  by  the  verdict  of 
the  multitude  (with  whom  the  preacher,  as  such,  has 
mainly  to  deal),  few  ministers  in  our  denomination  could 
secure  a  larger  suffrage.  He  was  ever  certain  of  consider- 
ation from  the  cultivated,  while  the  common  people,  on  the 
other  hand,  always  heard  him  gladly.  He  possessed  a  rare 
store  of  anecdotes,  and  with  these  he  illustrated  the  truth 
so  aptly  that  they  who  came  to  hear  him  once  were  sure  to 
come  again.  With  a  tall  figure,  broad  shoulders,  and  a 
head  of  unusual  dimensions  crowning  all,  his  ax^pearance  in 
the  pulpit  was  specially  engaging.  The  forehead  was  not 
only  high,  but  broad  withal,  the  eye  brilliant,  the  counte- 
nance defaced  with  no  imperfect  feature.  These  outward  ad- 
vantages, added  to  a  voice  of  the  deepest  and  vddest  compass, 
and  all  again  crowned  with  the  graces  of  God's  Spirit,  fitted 
him  to  be,  as  he  ever  was,  a  favorite  with  the  masses.  In 
addition,  there  fell  from  his  lips  now  and  then  in  the  ser- 
mon such  revelations  of  practical  knowledge,  such  masterly 
thinists  at  the  inner  workings  of  the  heart,  that  these  search- 
17 


258  Rev.  Dk.  Gkasty. 

ing  utterances  alone  left  no  room  for  complaint  to  the  most 
exacting.  And  upon  all,  of  every  degree,  either  as  to  lite- 
rary attainments  or  social  position,  there  was  that  in  the 
tout  ensemble  of  the  man  which  enforced  everywhere,  in  the 
j)ulpit  and  out  of  it,  the  profoundest  respect.  .  .  . 

"Dr.  White  in  Prayer. 

"  Three  men  in  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  this  country 
towered  above  all  their  fellows  in  the  ability  which  God  gave 
them  to  lead  the  soul  of  the  suppliant  up  to  the  very  altar 
'where  the  cherubim  stretched  forth  their  wdngs  over  the 
mercy-seat.'  These  godly  men  were  Drs.  McFarland,  Eice 
and  White. 

"Dr.  McFarland  was,  so  to  speak,  more  simple  and  child- 
like in  his  modes.  He  drew  near  to  the  Father  with  confi- 
dence, and  stood  at  his  feet,  pleading  in  gentle,  earnest,  ur- 
gent words,  as  though  there  abided  in  the  bosom  a  certainty 
of  final  success.  Again  and  again  did  he  return  to  the  mark, 
each  time  with  an  insj^iration  that  shone  around  his  head 
and  trilled  in  his  voice.  .  .   . 

"Dr.  Ben.  Eice  and  Dr.  Wm.  S.  White  very  much  resem- 
bled each  other  in  prayer.  These  two  and  Dr.  McFarland 
were  notably  dissimilar.  On  the  other  hand,  Drs.  Eice  and 
White  w^ere  so  alike  that,  w^ith  closed  eyes,  the  w^orshippers 
could  almost  mistake  the  one  for  the  other.  The  main  dif- 
ference was,  if  I  may  express  it  so,  that  Dr.  Eice  possessed 
a  condensed  energy,  and  now  and  then  there  gushed  forth 
a  sublimity  of  utterance  which  did  not  belong,  in  the  same 
degree,  to  the  other.  But  about  each  there  existed  a  pro- 
priety, decorum  and  genuine  majesty  that  I  never  knew  sur- 
passed. In  the  outset  there  was  not  the  quickened  pulse, 
the  ardor,  the  childlike  hopefulness  and  scope  (as  in  Dr. 
McFarland),  but  these  led  off  more  with  the  air  and  mien 
of  the  king's  officers,  who  entered  the  sovereign's  council 
chamber  through  the  accustomed  and  time-honored  forms. 


Rev.  Dr.  Grasty.  259 

"A  Criterion  of  Greatness. 

"  lu  a  'svord,  if  greatness  is  to  be  decided  according  to 
"wliat  a  person  does,  then  the  name  of  WilUam  Spottswood 
"^liite  must  be  eni'olled  among  the  great.  For  he  was  tried 
in  fom:  different  fields,  and  one  of  these  the  most  delicate 
and  difficult  possible  to  be  conceived ;  and  yet  wherever  he 
went,  there  followed  the  plaudit,  'Well  done,  good  and  faith- 
ful servant.'  Can  greatness  encompass  more?  Nay,  have 
not  the  great,  defined  by  certain  standards,  conspicuously 
failed  where  Dr.  White  confessedly  succeeded?  Let  it  be 
granted  that  he  was  not  dazzling  in  his  rhetoric,  scholastic 
and  formal  in  his  logic,  classic  in  his  tastes,  and  profound 
and  varied  in  his  learning.  What  boots  it  to  the  proprietor 
of  all  these,  if  there  be  in  any  man  such  a  rare  combination 
of  gifts  and  graces  that  the  latter  can  accomplish  noble  ends 
for  which  the  former  are  insufficient  ?  Which  of  these  two 
classes  does  the  church  most  need  this  hour?  If  there  be 
large  attainments,  so  much  the  better ;  but  as  between  in- 
sufficiency with  this  and  efficiency  without  it,  no  man  of 
sense  need  hesitate  for  an  answer. 

"Not  that  Dr.  ^\^lite  was  destitute  of  culture.  Very  far 
from  it.  He  sat  a  portion  of  each  day  in  a  well- assorted  li- 
brary, and  no  pastor  in  Lexington  Presbytery  knew  better 
how  to  use  it.  Yet  it  was  not  upon  hterature,  science,  or 
the  outcome  of  genius,  that  this  ambassador  of  Christ  mainly 
relied.  But  he  held  within  himself,  strengthened  and  guided 
by  God's  grace,  that  diversity  of  gifts  which  is  unequalled  by 
all  learning,  and  that  roundness  and  symmetry  of  charac- 
ter in  conjunction  with  deep  piety,  and  such  literary  stores 
as  reasonable  industry  can  attain.  This  is  the  tyj^e  of  Chris- 
tian minister  which  it  is  healthful  and  refreshing  to  set  be- 
fore our  young  ministers  of  to-day.  True,  we  want  the  men 
of  science,  the  proficient  in  '  tongues '  and  philosophy.  A  few 
of  these  the  chiu'ch  must  have,  as  watchmen,  here  and  there, 
upon  her  walls;  but  Zion  needs  most  of  all  a  host  of  the 


260  Rev.  Dr.  Balch. 

Lord's  servants,  ui^ou  -whom  has  fallen  the  mantle  of  tlie 
prudent,  self-denying,  laborious,  cheerful,  judicious,  wise, 
and  now  sainted  "White.  John  S.  Grasty." 

[B>/  tJie  Rev.  Thomm  B.  Balch,  Greenwich,  Va.] 
Reminiscences  of  Presbyterian  Ministers 
•  By  ax  Octogexaeiax.  — Xo.  39. 


WiLLiA^i  S.  White. 

"In  June,  1839,  the  Octogenarian  was  riding  in  the  direc- 
tion of  Charlottesville,  in  the  county  of  Albemarle.  I  called 
at  a  wayside  inn,  for  the  rest  of  an  hour,  and  my  hostess  ap- 
peared anxious  to  find  out  a  few  particulars  touching  the 
traveller.  There  was  nothing  obtrusive  or  officious  in  her 
manner.  At  length  she  remarked,  'Dr.  White  to-morrow 
has  sacrament  at  Charlottesville,  and  in  the  evening  you  will 
probably  meet  an  elder  of  his  Mrk  coming  home  from  the 
preparatory  sermon.'  'Thank you,'  I  replied,  'for  that  piece 
of  information,  and  111  keep  an  eye  on  that  elder.'  *So  do,' 
she  remarked,  'for  your  black  velvet  stock  gave  me  an  ink- 
ling that  3't)U  were  a  minister.' 

"  We  rode  on  at  an  easy  gait,  and,  rather  late  in  the  afternoon, 
we  spied  a  gentleman,  who  met  up  with  us  in  a  few  minutes. 
*  Are  you  from  Charlottesville  V I  asked.  '  Yes,'  he  answered. 
*Are  you  acquainted  with  Dr.  White f  'Know  him  like  a 
book,'  he  answered.  *Are  you  a  minister?  if  so,  ride  up  to 
my  house,  s^^end  the  night,  and  in  the  moi-ning  I  will  intro- 
duce you  to  the  Doctor,  as  worthy  a  man  as  you  could  wish 
to  see.'  So  the  head  of  my  steed  w^as  turned,  and  the  writer 
sj)ent  a  most  agreeable  night  with  a  Christian  family. 

'•The  next  morning  was  cool  for  a  Virginia  summer — a 
crudeness  in  the  atmosphere ;  and  the  writer  put  on  a  reddish- 
looking  coat,  which  gave  him  rather  a  grotesque  appearance. 
We  reached  the  Albemarle  town,  and  met  Dr.  White  in  one 
of  the  streets.     He  was  on  his  way  to  see  a  sick  member  of 


Kev.  Dr.  Balch.  261 

his  flock.  *Go  on  to  the  church,'  he  remarked,  'and  take 
your  place  in  the  pulpit.'  A  larg-e  part  of  the  congregation 
had  assembled.  In  ascending  the  pulpit,  the  people  gazed 
at  the  stranger  as  if  he  had  been  a  pope  wearing  his  triple 
mitre.  'Gaze  on,  good  people,'  thought  the  stranger;  'I  am 
not  the  pope,  nor  Michael  Angelo,  who  became,  in  1542,  the 
architect  of  St.  Peter's,  nor  Eaffaelle,  whose  pencil  frescoed 
the  apartments  of  that  sumptuous  mass  of  idolatry.  This 
plain  edifice  suits  me  better  than  the  cathedral  of  Canter- 
bury, or  St.  Paul's  in  London.'  Dr.  White  entered  the  pul- 
pit; but  just  as  he  took  his  seat,  a  man  came  up  the  steps 
and  whispered  the  question,  '  Do  you  need  help  in  putting 
that  man  outf  'What  man?  Wouldn't  you  wish  to  hear 
him  preach?'  So  the  janitor  made  a  hasty  retreat.  The 
eclaircissement  of  this  queer  affair  ^vas  that,  on  the  Sabbath 
before,  some  half  witted  man,  who  resembled  the  writer,  had 
crept  into  the  pulpit.  I  should  have  been  amused,  had  it 
happened  anywhere  but  in  a  church. 

"My  text  was,  'Add  to  your  faith  virtue,  charity,'  etc. 
When  the  services  were  closed,  a  lady  approached  me,  who 
proved  to  be  a  niece  of  ex-President  Jefferson.  She  had  re- 
sided at  Monticello,  the  famous  seat  of  her  uncle,  and  I  im- 
mediately saw  that  she  was  a  lady  of  uncommon  talents. 
*Are  you  a  Virginian?'  she  enquired.  'A  native,'  I  replied, 
*of  Columbia  District;  but  Virginia  has  adopted  me,  and 
has  become  my  alma  mater.'  '  It  is  pleasant,'  she  remarked, 
*to  hear  a  sermon  in  these  days  of  strife  on  the  subject  of 
charity.'  Faith,  hope,  charit}';  the  greatest  of  these  is 
charity.  'Then,'  I  replied,  'my  text  ought  to  have  read, 
"7o  your  charity  add,''  etc.,  but  it  read,  "To  your  faith  add 
charity  "  as  a  product  of  faith,  and  then  the  product  becomes 
greater  in  the  deeds  we  perform  for  our  race;  but  "without 
faith  we  cannot  please  God." '  *  But,'  she  rejoined,  'have  we 
not  disowned  our  New  School  brethren?'  'True,*  I  an- 
swered,  'but  two    cannot  walk   together    except  they  be 


262  Eev.  Dr.  Balch. 

agi'eecl.  The  cliurch  is  not  the  j^lfi-ce  for  discussion  of 
litigated  points.'  '  Then  come,'  she  said,  '  and  take  tea  with 
us  to-morrow  evening.'  My  acceptance  of  the  invitation 
tei-minated  the  interview.  Dr.  "White  told  me  that  she  was 
the  only  New  School  member  of  his  church,  and  honest  in 
all  her  convictions. 

"  The  next  morning  the  wTiter  walked  out  to  Monticello. 
Its  owner  had  died  in  1826,  and  the  place  had  been  pur- 
chased by  a  Jewish  family.  The  pastor  at  Charlottes'sdlle 
had  given  me  a  note  of  introduction  to  the  sister  of  the  pro- 
prietor, and  in  walking  along  we  thought  about  Sir  Walter 
Scott's  Kebecca  in  Ivanhoe.  She  held  Dr.  White  in  great 
veneration,  and  occasionally  attended  his  ministry.  I  paused 
awhile  at  the  grave  of  Jefferson,  and  then  advancing,  was 
met  by  a  young  man  accompanied  bj"  a  couple  of  dogs.  I 
do  not  hate  dogs,  but  the  sight  of  them;  for  they  are  no- 
thing more  than  half-civilized  wolves.  My  note  was  handed 
to  the  young  Jew.  'This  note  of  Dr.  "White,'  he  remarked, 
*will  entitle  you  to  all  the  attentions  we  can  bestow.  He  is 
beloved  by  Jews  and  Gentiles,  and,  like  Ezra,  he  delves  into 
the  Old  Testament,  and  then  couples  it  with  the  New.'  'You 
cannot  hold  him,'  I  rej^lied,  'in  profounder  reverence  than 
youi'  visitor.'  He  then  conducted  me  through  the  garden, 
pointed  out  the  distant  views,  and  led  me  to  the  homestead 
of  the  statesman,  showing  its  porches,  rooms,  mosaics,  its 
foreign  curiosities  and  domestic  inventions.  But  of  these 
things  I  have  given  an  account  in  one  of  my  twenty-four 
*  Picturesque  Narratives,'  published  in  Stockton's  Christian 
World. 

"I  walked  back  to  the  town,  and  was  introduced  to  Pro- 
fessor Harrison,  a  fine  scholar  and  polished  gentleman. 
Called  on  the  consort  of  Professor  Tucker,  an  old  acquaint- 
ance. W^ent  to  hear  her  husband  lecture  on  moral  philos- 
ophy. .  .  .  Took  tea  with  the  New  School  lady.  She  pre- 
sented me  with  a  pair  of  ebonies,  and  fifty  dollars  to  help 


Eev.  Dr.  Balch.  263 

bear  their  expenses  to  Liberia.  They  were  sent  accordingly 
with  Gcn-ernor  Buchanan.  Saw  the  Eev.  Mr.  Paxton,  just 
returned  from  Palestine.  Told  uie  that  the  rose  of  Sharon 
was  yellow,  and  that  its  hue  was  golden.  Many  believe  that 
it  was  red. 

"I  have  seldom  met  with  a  minister  that  made  a  deeper 
impression  on  my  memory  than  Dr.  White.  He  removed  to 
Lexington,  in  the  Valley,  where  his  labors  in  the  ministry 
were  very  successful.  He  was  dignified  enough  to  command 
respect,  and  yet  lowly  enough  to  look  for  the  dew  of  heaven 
on  all  that  he  attempted  to  advance  in  the  cause  of  Christi- 
anity, either  by  oral  instruction  or  by  his  pen ;  and  now  he 
sleeps  in  the  fern  of  Shenandoah  Valley,  not  far  from  the 
graves  of  Lee  and  Jackson,  which  are  frequented  by  pilgrims 
from  oui'  ovra  and  distant  lands." 


The  Eev.  Dr.  J.  A.  WaddeU,  of  Eoxbury,  Virginia,  is  the 
author  of  the  following  lines : 

LINES 

Suggested  by  the  Happy  Death  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  White. 
"  lu  the  first  hour  of  day's  decline, 
When  noon-day's  shadows  cross  the  line, 
We  stood  around  him  as  he  lay. 
And  watched  him  till  he  passed  away. 

"  The  tortured  face,  the  anguished  eye, 
That  mark  the  time  when  others  die, 
Seemed  not  death's  purpose  to  betray; 
We  knew  not  wheji  he  passed  away. 

' '  No  mortal  tumult  heaved  his  breast ; 
No  mortal  pain  impaired  his  rest; 
But,  like  the  noon's  receding  ray, 
His  sainted  spirit  passed  away. 

**  As  summer  clouds  at  eventide 
With  unseen  motion  gently  glide ; 
As  stars  grow  dim  at  break  of  day, 
Then  cease  to  shine, — he  passed  away. 


26-4  Memorials  of  Mrs.  Dr.  White. 

' '  The  waves  of  time  so  slowl}'  bore 
Their  precious  burden  from  the  shore, 
Asleep  in  their  embrace  he  lay, 
And,  sweetly  slumbering,  passed  away. 

"  Thus,  on  its  noiseless  wheels  of  flame. 
The  chariot  for  the  prophet  came ; 
Affrighted  death  forsook  its  sway, 
And  the  immortal  passed  away. 

'  *  'Twas  victory  for  him  to  die, 
And  mourners  weep,  they  know  not  why 
"Who  would  the  conqueror's  march  delay, 
■>Vhen  saints  to  glory  j^ass  away  ?" 


MEMOKIALS  OF  MRS.  DE.  WHITE. 


By  the  Session  or  the  Chukch. 
"  In  Memoriam. 

"  The  following  minute  was  adopted  October  10,  1878,  by 
the  session  of  the  Lexington  Presbyterian  Church,  and 
ordered  to  be  spread  upon  the  record : 

"Died,  October  3, 1878,  aged  seventy -five,  at  the  residence 
of  her  son,  Mr.  Thomas  S.  White,  Mrs.  Jane  I.  White, 
■widow  of  Wm.  S.  White,  D.  D.,  late  pastor  of  this  church. 

"Mrs.  White's  membership  in  the  Lexington  Presbyterian 
Church  was  historic,  inasmuch  as  it  was  so  intimately  con- 
nected wdth  the  pastorate,  long  continued  and  specially 
blessed,  of  her  husband,  our  pastor. 

"We  remember  with  tender  affection  how  faithfully  she 
discharged  her  ai)propriate  part  of  the  direct  duties  of  her 
position,  and  w^e  are  w  ell  persuaded  that  her  indirect  influ- 
ence w^as  even  more  potential  for  good  in  lightening  the 
labors  of  her  husband,  and  in  encouraging  and  cheering  his 
heart,  and  thus  strengthening  his  hands  for  the  arduous 
work  entrusted  to  him. 

"She  has  ceased  from  her  labors,  and  entered  upon  her 


Mks.  Pkeston.  265 

everlasting  reward,  to  be  enjoyed  with  him  to  whom  on 
earth  she  gave  the  love  and  the  labor  of  her  life.  "When  his 
crown  is  bright  with  the  shining  of  many  stars,  some  of  its 
lustre  will  be  reflected  upon  the  less  conspicuous  crown  of 
her  who  was  his  true  fellow-laborer  in  winning  souls  to 
Christ. 

"This  simple  memorial  of  her  departure  from  among  us 
appropriately  tinds  a  place  upon  the  record-book,  in  which 
has  been  inscribed  so  often  the  name  of  her  husband  as 
moderator  of  this  session. 

"J.  Fuller,  Clerk  of  Session, 

''[For  the  Central  Presbyterian,]^ 
"By  Mrs.  Maegaret  J.  Preston. 

"On  Saturday,  October  5th,  was  laid  to  rest  in  the  Lex- 
ington cemetery  all  that  w^as  mortal  of  Jane  Isabella,  the 
venerated  widow  of  the  Eev.  Dr.  AYm.  S.  ^Vhite. 

"  Few  deaths  occur  in  this  sorrowful  world  of  ours  that 
liave  not  more  or  less  of  sadness  mingled  with  them.  Yet 
here  we  saw  our  friend,  our  neighbor,  one  with  whom  we 
had  held  the  most  gentle  and  pleasant  intercourse  through 
years  of  mingled  joy  and  grief,  one  whose  unobtrusive  min- 
istrations had  never  been  withheld  in  prosperity  or  adver- 
sitj^ — such  an  one  we  saw  laid  under  the  sod  almost  without 
tears.  There  seemed,  as  we  thought  of  what  she  had  been 
and  what  she  had  done,  no  room  for  sorrow,  no  reasonable- ' 
ness  in  grief.  Faithfully,  conscientiously,  unremittingly, 
as  daughter  and  wife  and  mother,  as  neighbor  and  friend 
and  mistress,  as  a  comforter  of  the  poor  and  a  soother  of  the 
afflicted,  as  a  pastor's  best  and  truest  helper,  she  had  done 
her  duty,  with  sweet  quietness  of  mind,  with  calm  serenity 
of  manner,  and  with  unselfish  endurance.  She  had  ordered, 
rarely  well,  all  the  ways  of  her  household ;  she  had  made 
her  husband's  home  a  very  home  of  the  heart;    she  had 


266  Mks.  Preston. 

gladdened  and  solaced  and  made  sniootli  for  liim  the  entire 
pathway  of  his  married  hfe,  taking  upon  herself  its  manifold 
domestic  cares  and  burdens,  that  he  might  be  free  to  give 
himself  without  hindrance  or  stint  to  the  sacred  work  which 
he  so  long  and  so  admirably  performed,  proving  herself 
thereby  a  model  minister's  wife.  She  had  had  a  life  of  sin- 
gular happiness  with  him,  through  youth  and  middle  age, 
and  together  had  they  bowed  over  their  one  bitter  experi- 
ence of  anguish,  the  death  on  the  field  of  battle  of  their  no- 
ble 3'oung  son,  Capt.  Hugh  A.  White,  a  loss,  nevertheless, 
that  could  be  borne,  seeing  that  she  had  such  a  comforter. 
She  had  watched  -svith  long  and  silent  submission  over  the 
slow  decline  of  this  beloved  husband,  until  her  ministrations 
and  her  care  were  no  longer  needed.  She  had  reared,  vrith. 
untii'ing  Christian  fidelity,  a  large  family  of  children,  five 
sons  and  two  daughters ;  slie  had  seen  them  all  honorably 
and  happily  settled  in  homes  of  their  own;  her  maternal 
solicitude  had  culminated  in  the  fulfilment  for  them  of  her 
highest  wishes.  She  had  lived  beyond  the  promised  three- 
score-and-ten,  and  these  five  years  of  borrow^ed  time,  spent 
in  patient  but  saddened  w  idow^hood,  more  than  satisfied  her. 
She  had  no  care  to  linger,  if  it  was  God's  will  that  she  should 
go.  'For  I  have  nothing  to  do  nov^^  she  would  sometimes 
say,  half  piteously,  to  the  writer  of  this  brief  memorial; 
'•nothing  to  do  ;  7rn/  icork  is  over  f  as  if  life  were  not  hfe 
without  the  working  and  the  doing. 

"From  the  day  she  lost  her  husband  the  brightness 
seemed  to  fade  out  of  life  for  her.  The  placid,  cheerful, 
sympathetic  face  which  always  heretofore  had  a  smile  ready 
for  U3  who  knew  her,  lost  henceforth  that  sunny  tranquillity 
which  had  been  so  pleasant  to  look  upon,  convincing  all  who 
saw  it  that  there  could  be  in  this  troublesome  world  abso- 
lute quietness  of  sj)irit  and  content  of  heart  that  asked  and 
wished  for  nothing  beyond  what  was  in  possession.  But 
when  the  light  of  her  eyes  was  taken  away,  the  valley  of  the 


Mrs.  Preston.  267 

shadow  began  to  grow  dim  about  her.  Wheu  the  strong 
prop  was  removed  the  steady  heart  began  to  falter.  Thence- 
forth the  sweet  serenity  deepened  into  something  hke  settled 
sadness.  She  never  became  used  to  missing  the  stay  of  her 
Hfe-time. 

"A  second  blow  followed  at  no  long  distance.  Her 
youngest  daughter,  with  whom  she  had  her  home,  was  sud- 
denly snatched  away  in  the  hey-day  of  her  young  woman- 
hood; and  while  there  was  no  arraignment  of  the  kindness 
or  wisdom  of  her  heavenly  Father,  there  was  a  certain  be- 
wilderment of  sorrow,  from  which  the  stricken  heart  could 
not  react. 

"It  was  but  reasonable  and  natiu^al,  then,  that  the  tired 
hands  that  had  never  idled  over  their  work  should  at  last  be 
folded  over  each  other,  and  that  she  should  softly  and  quietly 
receive  the  summons  to  the  '  rest  that  remameth.'  It  would 
have  been  unreasonable  and  unnatural  if.  on  that  golden 
autumn  morning  her  friends  and  neighbors  had  felt  other 
than  a  solemn  thanksgiving  that  the  'shock  of  corn,  fully 
ripe,'  had  been  gathered  into  the  garner  of  the  Lord. 

"  To  few,  with  more  truth,  can  the  commendation  of  our 
Saviour  bestowed  upon  ]Mary  be  applied  than  to  Mrs.  "Wliite. 
In  all  the  relations  of  life,  and  in  all  its  perplexing  circum- 
stances, 's/<e  hath  done  vJutt  site  could!  No  brilliant  work 
that  the  world  will  praise,  it  may  be ;  but  such  unselfish  ser- 
vice and  such  fully-performed  duty  as  the  eye  of  God  will 
regard  with  approval  as  he  pronounces  bis  verdict  uj^on  it — 
*  Well  done,  good  and  faithful.'  M.  J.  P." 


CHAPTEK  XVII. 

Letters    of    Condolence. 

Feom  Eev.  Dr.  Wm.  Beown  ;  Eev.  Dk.  Wm.  S.  Plumer  ;  Rev.  Dr. 
B.  M.  Smith  ;  Eev.  Dr.  E.  L.  Dabney  ;  Mrs.  Margaret  J. 
Preston. 

fTHHE  following-  letters  of  condolence  are  so  admirably  writ- 
-L  ten,  and  were  so  highly  valued  by  our  mother,  that  we 
think  they  wdll  be  read  w4th  comfort  by  all  similarly  be- 
reaved, and  insert  them  for  the  benefit  of  all  such  into  whose 
hands  this  volume  may  fall. 

[From  Eev.  Dr.  Wm.  Brown.  ] 

"PiicHMOND,  Va.,  J)ec.  2,  1873. 

"Dear  Mrs.  "White:  A  telegram  in  the  Eichmond  W/d^ 
of  yesterday  (Monday)  morning  brought  the  first  informa- 
tion that  the  mournful  event  had  come  to  separate  you  from 
one  who  had  so  long  and  so  truly  been  as  part  of  your  own 
life.  In  some  respects  there  is  nothing  which  can  ever  pre- 
pare us  for  this  supreme  moment,  for  we  must  always  suf- 
fer under  the  stroke  which  cuts  asimder  ties  as  tender  as 
our  own  heart-strings. 

"  But  in  the  midst  of  all  this,  I  feel  assured  that  you  are 
enabled  fully  and  constantly  to  recognize  the  great — I  may 
say  the  uncommonly  great — mercies  connected  with  this  dis- 
pensation. Your  husband  had  filled  up  the  full  measure  of 
years  allotted  by  the  Psalmist  for  manly  life;  he  had  filled 
it  well — nobly,  indeed— and  in  the  noblest  office  and  work 
known  upon  earth.  He  had  been  spared  with  you  to  see  all 
your  children  educated  and  settled  in  life,  and  had  given 

268 


Letters  of  Condolence.  2G9 

you  great  comfort  in  them.  He  had  diiriug  most  of  his  hfe 
been  favored  with  comfortable  health.  A  happy  natural 
constitution,  as  well  as  divine  grace  and  a  kind  providence, 
led  his  life  peacefully  along  through  enjoyments  allotted  to 
few,  even  among  the  best  of  his  brethren.  I  know  of  no 
one  "who  had  more  reason  to  sa}',  as  I  am  sure  he  often  did, 
'  He  maketh  me  to  lie  down  in  green  pastures ;  he  leadeth 
me  beside  the  still  waters.' 

"The  life  of  your  husband  was  every  way  regarded  as 
one  of  great  usefulness,  and  I  do  not  think  I  have  ever 
known  a  man  more  respected  and  loved,  and  deservedly  so. 
To  have  had  your  own  chosen  place  by  his  side  through  so 
long  a  period,  and  to  have  been  universally  recognized  as 
filling  it  in  a  manner  worthy  of  such  a  husband,  such  a  min- 
ister of  Christ,  is  a  precious  heritage  to  any  wdfe  in  the  day 
which  clothes  her  in  the  garments  of  mourning. 

"  I  need  not  assure  you  how  sincerely  my  own  feelings  are 
mingled  with  yours,  both  in  your  sorrow  and  in  your  com- 
fort under  it.  I  have  never  known  any  one  outside  of  my 
own  father's  house  for  whom  I  had  a  warmer  affection  than 
for  my  beloved  brother  now  gone;  and  it  will  be  cherished 
as  one  of  the  choicest  memories  of  my  life,  that  I  had  in  re- 
turn such  unmistakable  evidence  of  a  good  place  in  his  heart. 

"I  feel  persuaded  that  a  review  of  the  past,  so  full  of 
'goodness  and  mercy,'  w411  constantly  strengthen  your  faith 
that  the  Lord  will  cause  them  to  '  follow  you  all  the  days  of 
your  life,'  and  that  when  they  are  ended  you  shall  '  dwell  in 
the  house  of  the  Lord  forever.'  The  scenes  of  the  present 
are  fast  vanishing  away;  'the  things  that  are  seen  are  tem- 
poral.' 'The  places  that  know  us  will  soon  know  us  no  more.' 
To  'stand  complete  in  all  the  will  of  God,' — to  know  it  and 
do  it,  and  be  resigned  to  it ;  that,  my  dear  friend,  concerns 
us  more  than  aU  besides.  If  that  is  made  sure,  everything 
else  is  safely  anchored  by  it;  no  tempest  can  ever  trouble  it. 

"But  perhaps  I  have  written  too  much.     My  desii'e  is  to 


270  Letters  of  Condolence. 

express  my  heartfelt  sympathy  "with  you  and  Tvith  all  your 
childi'en  aud  household.  May  the  covenant  blessing  of  our 
God  rest  upon  them  to  the  latest  generations;  and  that 
you  may  have  abiding-  "svith  you  daily  the  comfort  of  his 
love  and  the  fellowship  of  his  SjDirit,  is  the  prayer  of 

"Yours,  most  sincerely,  William  Brown." 

[From  Kev.  Dk.  PLrMEK.] 

"Columbia,  S.  C,  Dec.  8,  1873. 
"  My  Dear  Sister  WmTE :  I  have  within  an  hour  heard  of 
the  death  of  dear  Dr.  White.  If  you  have  lost  a  dear,  good 
husband,  I  have  lost  a  true  and  loving  friend  and  brother — ■ 
a  brother  made  for  the  day  of  adversity,  as  w^ell  as  for  the 
day  of  prosperity.  I  do  not  think  there  ever  lived  a  more 
genial,  frank,  friendly  or  sincere  man  than  Dr.  White.  His 
wonderful  common  sense  made  him  one  of  the  most  effective 
men  in  every  station.  His  candor  kej)t  him  fi'ee  from  all 
those  detestable  littlenesses  wiiich  mar  so  many  characters 
otherwise  good.  I  have  loved  him  and  communed  sweetly 
with  him  since  1829,  as  I  had  opportunity.  My  last  visit 
to  him  was  very  edifying  and  refreshing.  He  is  now  at  rest. 
Glory  be  to  God  for  all  his  mercies  given  to  Dr.  White  and 
to  others  through  him.  I  have  often  wept  with  him  and 
often  rejoiced  with  him.  But  he  is  at  rest  now,  and  you 
and  I  are  left  to  fight  a  little  longer.  Oh,  let  us  be  strong. 
Let  us  honor  God  all  the  time.  Let  us  remember  that 
Jehovah  is  our  strength.  How  can  we  sink  with  such  a 
prop  as  our  eternal  God  ?  If  you  have  the  poem,  Yester- 
day, To-day  and  Forever,  I  ask  you  to  read  the  first  and 
second  books  of  it.  Get  also  Dr.  Alexander's  Letters  to  the 
Aged. 

"Give  my  love  to  all  your  children  and  grandchildi'en. 
Do  all  you  can  for  the  glorj^  of  God.  Be  cheerful.  The  Lord 
be  with  you. 

"Faithfully  youi's,  W^m.  S.  Plumer/' 


Letters  of  Condolence.  271 

[From  Dii.  B.  M.  Smith  ] 

"  Hampden-Sidney,  Va.,  Dec.  7,  1878. 

"  My  De.ar  Mrs.  AVhite  :  You  have  come  to  know  by  ex- 
perience that  sad  lot  which  falls  to  so  man}'.  You  are  a 
widow  !  The  joys  and  hopes  and  pleasing  cares  of  your  past 
life  are  at  an  end.  It  is  no  sufficient  alleviation  of  your 
l^resent  distress  to  remember  that  it  was  long  before  you  as 
a  dark  cloud.  No  anticipation  can  accustom  us  so  to  con- 
template such  a  sorrow  as  j^ours  as  to  deprive  it  of  its  sting 
when  it  may  have  come.  My  tenderest  sympathies  are  with 
you.  Somehow  I  have  ever  felt  a  peculiar  tenderness  to  the 
widow.  My  precious  mother  was  a  widow  during  all  that 
part  of  her  life  of  which  I  was  an  observer ;  and  her  widow- 
hood was  one  of  prolonged  and  painful  suffering.  It  is  not 
surprising,  then,  that  I  feel  for  widows;  and  yet  I  remem- 
ber that  of  all  the  classes  of  persons  for  which  the  Bible 
presents  most  special  promises  they  are  prominent.  God  is 
the  'God  of  the  widow  and  the  Father  of  the  fatherless.' 
He  has  said,  'Let  thy  widows  trust  in  me.'  And  he  has 
made  it  an  element  of  Christian  character  of  the  most  pro- 
minent place  to  'visit  the  widow  and  the  fatherless.'  Do 
not  think,  then,  for  a  moment,  that  God  is  dealing  with  you 
in  judgment,  or  that  the  deprivations  to  which  j-our  new  re- 
lations in  life  subject  you  have  taken  from  you  all  relations 
to  sources  of  comfort  and  blessing.  God  has  changed  j-our 
circumstances,  but  he  has  not  changed  himself.  He  is  still 
a  God  'who  is  near,  and  not  far  off.'  He  is  still  pitiful  and 
tender.  'Like  as  a  father  pitieth  his  children,  so  the  Lord 
pitieth  them  that  fear  him.'  This  is  one  of  the  most  -pve- 
cious  of  all  the  comforting  promises  which  the  Spirit  has 
written  for  the  afflicted.  God  is  not  onh^  a  Father  who 
'chastens,'  but  a  Father  who  'pities'  while  he  'chastens.' 

"  And  then,  while  he  has  given  you  a  bitter  cup,  he  has 
not  made  it  all  Intter.  "What  unspeakably  precious  bless- 
ings has  he  left  you!     The  memory  of  such  a  husband  is 


272  Letters  of  Condolence. 

itself  a  legacy  of  ineffable  value.  I  doubt  not,  you  have  al- 
ready received,  and  m  ill  continue  to  receive,  from  all  parts 
of  the  country,  and  from  far  abler  pens  than  mine,  tributes 
to  the  eminent  worth  of  your  beloved  husband.  I  have 
known  him  for  nearly  fifty  years.  As  boy  and  man,  I  have 
marked  his  career,  and  with  profit.  Few  men,  Kving  or 
dead,  ever  laid  me  under  greater  obligations,  as  contributors 
to  the  formation  of  my  own  character.  I  owe  him  more  than 
I  can  express.  His  mode  of  life,  domestic  and  professional,  was 
one  of  the  examples  which,  though  at  a  long  distance  be- 
hind, and  with  very  unequal  steps,  I  followed.  ^Vhile  in 
Nottoway,  in  Scottsville,  Charlottes'^dlle  and  Lexington,  I 
was  ever  taught  by  him ;  and  much  of  what  little  I  have  done, 
as  I  had  opportunity,  I  owe  to  his  example  and  his  encour- 
agement. And  then  what  a  blessing  in  your  dear  children 
has  God  left  you.  I  know  they  have,  in  some  cases,  been 
sources  of  affliction  in  their  affliction ;  but  God  has  rewarded 
all  Dr.  White's  care  and  yours  in  giving  j^ou  children  in 

whom  you  ma}'  well  rejoice And  j^ou  have,  to  cherish 

and  comfort  you  in  age,  jour  youngest  daughter.     So  let 
your  heart  trust.     In  sure  confidence  in  j^our  Sa^dour,  faith- 
fulness to  your  new  duties  and  new  relations,  you  will  find 
new  comforts  o&setting  the  sorrow  of  these  days. 
"May  grace,  mercy  and  peace  ever  be  with  you. 

"Yours  truly,  B.  M.  Smith." 

[From  Rev.  Dr.  R.  L.  Dabnet.  ] 

"  Seminaey,  December  13,  1873. 
"My  Dear  Mrs.  WmTE:  You  need  not  be  assured  that  we 
have  all  watched  with  the  tenderest  interest  such  accounts 
as  the  papers  brought  us  of  the  last  sickness  of  your  honored 
husband.  When  I  learned  that  he  had  certainly  gone  to  his 
rest,  I  felt  that  I  had  lost  one  of  the  wisest  and  truest  friends 
I  ever  had.  I  take  a  pensive  pleasure  in  running  over  the 
numerous  instances  of  his  hospitality  and  kindness  to  me. 


Letters  of  Condolence.  273 

and  the  many  very  happy  hours  he  has  given  me,  since  the 
beginning  of  our  ac(|uaintanee,  Avlien  I  came  to  the  Univer- 
sity of  Yirginia,  an  unfriended  and  poor  young  man.  Few 
men  liave  ever  held  such  a  place  in  my  estimation,  for  eveiy 
quality  that  ennobles  a  man  and  a  Christian. 

"I  do  not  wi'ite,  my  dear  madam,  for  the  purpose  of  in- 
truding the  common-places  of  consolation.  These  truths 
you  know ;  and  doubtless  the  Divine  Comforter  has  already 
been  ministering  them  to  your  heart,  even  from  the  first  day 
that  this  bereavement  bagan  to  cast  its  shadow  upon  you.  I 
can  only  pray  that  you  may  experience  the  fullest  supports 
of  a  Christian  faith  and  hope ;  and  that  your  remaining  pil- 
grimage may  be  made  pleasant  and  comfortable  by  the 
tender  affection  of  the  children  who  owe  you  and  their  father 
so  much. 

"La\inia  asks  especially  to  join  me  in  this  prayer  and  in 
my  hearty  acknow'ledgments  of  the  many  Kindnesses  we  have 
both  received  from  j'ou  and  j^our  husband.  Remember  us 
also  affectionately  to  Harriet  and  to  Professor  James  ^\Tiite 
and  their  families. 

"Very  faithfully  youi's,  E.  L.  Dabney." 

[From  Mrs.  Makgaeet  J.  Pkeston.] 

"Monday,  Decemhe/r  1, 
"My  Dear  Sorrowing  Friend:  M3'  heart  is  bowed  down 
with  you  in  j^our  sore  grief !  I  do  not  know  how  to  take  in 
the  thought  that  dear,  dear  Dr.  White  is  gone  from  us  for 
ever.  It  is  better  to  think  that  I  will  never,  never  see  him 
again.  And  if  7"  feel  it  so,  how  does  your  poor,  smitten 
heart  bear  uj)  under  the  hea^y  bereavement!  How  often  he 
has  comforted  us  in  our  many  griefs!  how  he  has  sympa- 
thized and  prayed  with  us!  and  now  it  is  only  left  us  to 
mourn  over  him,  not  for  him.  Passed,  as  he  has,  into  the 
splendor  of  the  ineffable  glory,  we  dare  not  weep  for  his 
going  from  us,  hardly;  our  sorrow  must  all  be  for  you,  dear 
18 


274  Letters  of  Condolence. 

friend,  aiul  his  children  who  will  so  miss  him,  and  for  our- 
selves, his  parishioners,  to  whom  he  was  always  so  dear. 
God  comfort  you  in  your  loneliness  and  desolation!  The 
everlasting  arms  be  underneath  and  ar(nnid  you !  If  I  only 
had  seen  him  once  more !  Just  after  I  came  home,  I  was  on 
the  street  to  pay  him  a  visit,  and  was  turned  aside;  and  last 
week,  although  twice  I  went  to  the  house,  I  felt  as  if  it  would 
be  an  intrusion  to  ask  to  see  him.  JVoir,  I  so  wish  I  had.  My 
husband  truly  mourns  for  him ;  he  had  no  deeper  affection 
for  any  man  than  for  his  dear  old  pastor.  But  his  own  heart 
has  been  so  bowed  with  grief  that  he  has  never  paid  a  visit 
since  Phebe's  death. 

'-'Last  night  as  I  sat  and  thought  of  the  dear  Doctor,  I 
was  so  impressed  with  the  idea  of  his  being  '  a  shock  of  corn 
fully  ripe,'  that  I  wrote  the  lines  enclosed.^  I  send  them, 
thinking  they  may  have  a  little  comfort  in  them. 

"Dear  Mrs.  "Wliite,  I  have  felt  that  so  many  were  going 

to  see  3'ou,  that  it  would  be  kinder  in  us  to  stay  away  just 

now.     In  a  few  days,  when  3'ou  feel  more  like  seeing  me,  I 

will  come.     My  love  to  Harriet  and  true  Christian  sympathy. 

"Ever  most  affectionately,         Maegaret  J.  Preston." 

^  These  "lines"  were  ai^pended  to  the  memorial  notice  of  Dr.  White 
by  the  session  of  the  church.     See  p.  239. 


CHAPTER   XVII  I. 

Estimates  of  His  Character  by  Life-Long  Friends  :  T)r.  R   L,  Dab- 
NEY,  Dr.  T.  W.  Sydxor,  Dr.  Theodorick  Pryor. 

THE  following  estimate  of  Dr.  White  was  wiitten  by  Dr. 
R.  L.  Dabney  to  Rev.  Dr.  J.  W.  Pratt,  successor  of  Dr. 
"White  in  the  Lexington  Church,  when  the  latter  had  in 
mind  to  deliver  a  "  Memorial  Discourse  "  on  the  former,  at 
the  request  of  the  session  of  the  church.  It  was  not  written 
by  the  author  to  be  printed  just  as  it  stands,  but  for  sub- 
stance and  in  Dr.  Pratt's  own  language : 

"  January  24,  1874. 
"  The  Rev.  John  W.  Pratt,  D.  D. 

"  Rev.  and  Dear  Brother  ;  The  first  time  I  ever  saw  Brother 
White  was,  I  think,  in  1833,  when  I  was  a  child.  I  went  to 
the  University  of  Virginia,  December,  1839  ;  Dr.  White  was 
then  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Charlottesville,  a 
householder  and  principal  of  a  large  and  laborious  female 
school.  Then  commenced  a  life-long  friendship.  I  went 
very  frequently  to  Dr.  White's  church,  and  have  to  acknow- 
ledge his  preaching  as  one  of  the  chief  means  for  developing 
whatever  Christian  character  I  have.  I  soon  became  a  wel- 
come visitor  at  his  home,  and  an  occasional  witness  of  that 
charming  domestic  life  of  which  it  was  the  scene. 

''During  the  session  of  1840-'41  Dr.  White  was  a^^pointed 
chaplain  to  the  University.  He  conducted  a  Bible-class  and 
preached  in  the  forenoon  in  the  University.  He  preached 
to  his  own  pastoral  charge  in  the  afternoon  or  night.  He 
gave  an  evening  lecture  in  the  University  (in  some  profes- 
sor's house)  Wednesday  night.     He  taught  a  seminary  of 

275 


27G  Estimate  of  Character. 

some  forty  girls  througli  the  week,  and  did  his  pastoral 
visiting  at  night.  His  preaching  was  greatly  admired  by 
the  professors,  and  he  was  an  excellent  chaplain.  He  had 
not  been  long  chaplain  when  the  murder  of  Professor  Davis 
took  place.  Dr.  White  appeared  to  unusual  advantage 
amidst  all  these  agitating  scenes:  tender,  sympathetic,  but 
wise  and  composed.  His  funeral  sermon,  almost  an  im- 
2?romptu,  was  an  exceedingly  happy  effort,  and  the  effect 
could  not  have  been  surpassed  by  any  one.  It  was  alluded 
to  in  class-room  by  the  professors  as  a  true  model  of  pa- 
thetic eloquence. 

"Such  labors,  of  course,  were  too  much  for  any  man's 
health;  Dr.  White's  failed  from  some  disease  of  the  liver, 
accompanied  wdth  great  sleeplessness.  He  lay  at  death's 
door;  recuperated;  got  to  the  Hot  baths,  and  always  attri- 
buted his  bodily  salvation  to  that  agency,  together  wdth  a 
good  rest  there.  I  think  this  was  about  1843.  About  the 
close  of  Dr.  "White's  first  chaplaincy,  the  change  was  made 
from  one  to  two-year's  term  of  service.  As  soon  as  the 
Presbyterian  turn  could  come  around,  he  was  made  chaplain 
again  for  two  years.  He  did  not  attempt  this  time  to  bear 
uj)  Atlas,  but  tiurned  his  own  congregation  over  to  licentiate 
(now  Dr.)  D.  B.  Ewing.  I  think  it  was  the  year  after  his 
second  tour  of  duty  (I  was  a  divinity  student  then),  that  the 
great  rebelhon  occurred  which,  for  a  time,  emptied  the  Uni- 
versity. I  was  in  Albemarle  among  my  relatives  just  after, 
and  I  remember  hearing  leading  gentlemen  say,  that  *  the 
best  thing  they  could  do  to  reduce  the  young  men  to  order 
would  be  to  commit  the  executive  management  to  Dr.  White, 
for  he  had  more  talent  of  command  and  sound  discretion, 
than  the  whole  faculty.' 

"I,  having  settled  at  Tinkling  Spring  just  before  the  be- 
ginning of  the  'Skinner  war,'  in  1847,  was  a  member  to 
welcome  Dr.  AVhite  in  1848.  AVe  were  co-presbyters  for 
five  years.      He  had  then  become   an  influential   director 


Estimate  of  Character.  277 

of  tliis  Seminary.  No  man  had  a  fuller  sympathy  than  he 
with  the  convictions  of  its  noble  and  sagacious  founder, 
Dr.  John  H.  Eice.  He  saw  clearly  how  vital  it  was  to 
real  progress  in  the  South  that  we  should  always  rear  a 
home  supply  of  ministers.  It  is  to  me  an  interesting  cir- 
cumstance, that  Dr.  White's  zeal  for  the  Seminary  was  the 
providential  occasion  of  his  settlement  in  Lexington.  He 
was  present  at  the  veri/  meeting  (at  the  Eiver  Church,  near 
the  Eockbridge  Baths)  at  which  the  '  Skinner  war '  began, 
as  ambassador  from  the  Seminary  Board  to  Lexington  Pres- 
bytery, to  gain  their  fuller  cooperation.  Lexington  Presby- 
tery was  then  very  Philadelphianish  and  Princetonish.  My 
father-in-law,  even  while  a  director  of  Union,  sent  thi-ee 
Browns  to  Princeton.  Dr.  White  made  a  very  prudent  and 
attractive  speech.  This  was  the  means  of  directing  the  at- 
tention of  the  Lexington  elders  to  him.     The  next  fall  Dr. 

S.  E.  Graham  died.     To  his  great  chagrin  Dr. was 

elected,  and  coquetted  with  the  Board  for  a  year.  I  was 
then — April,  1853 — elected  by  some  sort  of  haphazard  or 
blind  groping. 

"  You  ask  for  my  estimate  of  Dr.  White :  it  is,  in  every 
point  of  view,  very  high.  He  was  an  admirable  head  of  a 
family,  firm,  wise,  generous,  and  tender.  As  a  business 
man,  he  was  sagacious  and  successful.  He  never  meant  to 
get  riches ;  had  he  desired  them  he  would  have  succeeded, 
but  he  was  too  noble.  As  a  companion,  he  was  unrivalled: 
a  genial  humorist,  with  an  exliaustless  fund  of  incident,  and 
a  cheerfulness  that  rarely  flagged.  His  corn-age  was  lion- 
like. He  was  fond  of  books  and  delighted  in  his  study. 
Those  who  think  other\\dse  did  not  know  him.  But  his 
*meat  was  to  do  the  will  of  his  Father  and  finish  his  work.' 
Zeal  for  souls  thrust  him  out;  although  it  was  a  true  self- 
denial  to  him,  he  always  responded.  He  was  right,  for  who 
can  doubt  that  the  multitudes  of  spiritual  children  lu;  thus 
begot  were  more  to  the  glory  of  God  than  any  additional 


278  Estimate  of  Character. 

critical  accuracy  he  might  have  gained  by  staying  in  his 
study  ?  His  mind  was  not  formed  for  critical  niceties,  and, 
I  presume,  was  impatient  of  protracted  research.  He  was  a 
man  of  action.  But  I  have  heard  from  him  many  able, 
well-knit,  devotional  sermons,  especially  while  chaplain.  He 
wielded  a  very  graceful  pen.  I  rank  his  African  Preacher 
among  the  Enghsh  classics  :  the  easy  flow,  perspicuity  and 
imambitious  grace  are  equal,  in  my  view,  to  the  best  popu- 
lar writings  of  John  Newton  or  James  W.  Alexander.  His 
literaiy  taste  was  very  pure. 

"As  a  preacher.  Dr.  White  had  nearly  every  excellency. 
It  was  usual  to  say  that  he  was  'not  profound,'  'not  schol- 
arly,' etc.  He  was  too  wdse  a  'master  of  assemblies'  to  affect 
the  scholastic  forms  of  discussion ;  his  genius  taught  him 
better  what  suited  the  poj)ular  mind.  As  a  preacher  he  was 
eminently  gifted  in  prayer.  His  sermons  never  failed  in 
appropi'iate  unction.  His  power  of  appropriate  illustration 
never  failed  him.  He  dealt  with  ideas  in  the  concrete,  as 
do  aU  great,  popular  leaders.  His  pathos  was  great,  and  he 
knew  where  to  touch  the  heart-strings  of  the  people.  To 
my  ear  his  elocution  was  very  fine,  flexible,  expressive,  sol- 
emn, manly,  noble.  The  last  sermon  I  ever  heard  from 
him  was  to  a  part  of  my  charge  here,  at  the  last  meeting  of 
the  trustees  he  ever  attended,  to  an  afternoon  congregation 
in  a  little  '  chapel  of  ease '  we  keep  down  at  the  village.  The 
morning  had  been  occupied  by  one  of  our  most  admired 
pulpit  orators,  in  an  effort  which  was  generally  pronoimced 
'brilliant.'  After  dinner.  Dr.  Smith  took  Dr.  White  down 
in  his  little  carriage,  and  he  preached  an  unpretending, 
practical  sermon  of  thirty  minutes.  To  my  ear  and  heart, 
it  carried  mure  true  eloquence  than  the  other. 

"  Ou  the  whole.  Dr.  White  was  a  man  of  a  large  and  noble 
build.  It  has  very  seldom  been  my  privilege  to  know  such 
a  one,  never  to  have  the  warm  fi'iendship — as  I  had  his — of 
a  nobler.     His  friendship  and  counsels  I  count  as  one  of  the 


Estimate  of  Character.  279 

great  blessings  of  my  life.  None  of  his  sons  is  exactly  like 
him.  Hugh  was  his  darling  ;  the  least  like  him  in  tempera- 
ment and  idiosyncrasy,  rare  in  nobleness,  corn-age  and  deep 
piety.     Mrs.  White  was  an  admirable  help-meet  for  him. 

"I  find  that  Dr.  T.lnte's  name  stands  on  our  matricula- 
tion list  in  1825.  His  family  can  give  you  the  framework  of 
his  history.  I  have  heard  him  talk  much  of  his  early  his- 
tory. He  told  me  once,  that  his  aspirations  were  due  to  a 
word  from  a  i^insman  who  had  emigrated  to  Florida  and 
there  become  a  distinguished  public  man.  (This  was  the 
Hon.  Thomas  AVhite,  who  represented  Florida  in  Congress 
.)  When  Dr.  White  was  a  youth  at  home  this  kins- 
man visited  his  native  neighborhood.  He  said  to  his  young 
cousin,  *  Don't  vegetate  here  on  the  Chick-a-hominy ;  resolve 
to  he  something.'  These  words,  he  said,  enforced  by  the  ex- 
amjDle  of  his  kinsman's  brilliant  success,  awakened  aspira- 
tions which  were  never  quenched,  and  which,  chastened  by 
grace,  led  to  his  holy  and  useful  career. 

"  He  was  in  Hampden-Sidney  College  as  a  candidate  the 
last  terms  of  Dr.  Moses  Hoge's  presidency,  and  remembered 
him  well.  He  also  knew  and  was  assisted  by  Dr.  J.  H.  Eice, 
then  pastor  of  the  First  Church,  Eichmond.  Dr.  ^^Tiite  had 
to  earn  his  education  by  teaching.  One  of  his  pleasant  in- 
cidents was  this :  Being  a  very  young  aSpirant  for  a  school 
in  Eichmond  he  had  ventured  to  append  to  his  card  a  refer- 
ence to  Dr.  Eice.  He  t  lok  the  first  opportunity  afterwards 
to  mention  it  to  the  Doctor  and  ascertain  if  it  was  agreeable. 
He  had  hitherto  know^n  him  chiefly  in  his  graver  moods  (which 
were  very  grave),  and  approached  hii^i  with  no  little  awe. 
Dr.  Eice  immediately  put  him  at  his  ease,  thus :  *  Well,  my 
young  brother,  you  have  taken  me  at  the  same  disadvantage 
that  old  John — (mentioning  a  f  rimiliar  old  neighbor  of  IMajor 
James  Morton  at  AVillington) — used  to  take  of  my  father-in- 
law  about  his  turnip-salad.  Old  John  would  come  by  the 
patch,  cut  a  fine  basketful,  hide  it  in  the  fence  cornei-,  and 


280  Estimate  of  Chaeaoter. 

tlien  come  to  the  house  to  ask  for  salad.  You  see,  if  my 
father-in-law  demuiTed,  on  the  ground  that  it  was  getting 
scarce,  he  would  say:  Well,  Major,  it's  cut  now;  and  its  too 
late  to  jine  it  to  the  turnips  again.' 

"You  will  see  that  my  statements  are  not  fit  in  form  for 
citation;  the  substance  is  at  your  service. 

"Fraternally  yours,  R.  L.  Dabney. 

"PosT-scEH'T. — Perhaps  it  may  be  well  for  me  to  say  more 
of  the  religious  history  of  the  University,  and  the  change 
which  was  taking  place  in  it  at  the  time  of  Dr.  "WTiite's  chap- 
laincies. 

"Formed  by  Mr.  Jefferson  (a  low-type,  rational  Socinian) 
as  a  State  institution,  it  was  at  first  of  no  rehgion  nominally. 
This  tiu-ned  out,  as  it  generally  does,  an ti- Christian  practi- 
cally. There  were  no  religious  observances;  many  of  the 
professors  were  skeptical;  much  Sabbath-breaking,  drunk- 
enness and  lechery  among  the  students.  After  a  few  years 
they  had  an  ej)idemic  t^^^hoid  fever,  like  that  which  pre- 
vailed in  1855-'56.  Many  students  died.  As  a  sort  of 
*sop  to  the  Cerberus'  of  Christian  opinion  in  the  State,  the 
Faculty  invited  Bishop  Meade  to  preach  a  common  funeral 
sermon  in  the  great  rotunda.  The  Faculty  comj^lained  that 
the  bishop  denounced  the  pestilence  as  a  visitation  of  God 
on  them  for  the  godlessuess  of  the  institution.  The  bishop 
denied  using  such  strong  language,  and  published  the  text 
of  his  sermon  in  proof.  But  they  said  that  he  had  enlarged 
in  the  heat  of  delivery,  and  the  severe  things  were  ex- 
tempore. These  facts  I  had  from  Professor  Gessner  Har- 
rison in  person.  The  bishop's  whipping,  however,  did  them 
good.  It  was  after  this,  I  think,  that  the  first  movement 
was  made  for  a  chaplaincy,  as  a  tribute  to  the  religious 
sentiment  of  the  State.     If  I  am  rightly  informed,  the  first 

was ,  a  brilliant  man,  but  rather  a  pulpit  charlatan, 

and  a  bad  man  in  private  character  Dr.  Sampson  was 
there  then   as  a  student,    and  bv  his  consistent,   modest, 


EsTm.VTE  OF  CiLVRACTER.  281 

Cliristiaii  firmness,  did  more  thau  .     Dr.  Sampson 

"SN-as  one  of  the  'mainspokes'  in  the  fii'st  Sunday-school  and 
prayer-meeting.  The  chaplaincy  was,  and  is,  a  'voluntary* 
movement,  on  the  part  of  professors  and  students,  who  sup- 
2)ort  him  by  subscription;  the  Visitors  never  having  given 
anything  but  a  chapel  and  a  piece  of  ground  for  a  manse. 

"By  the  time  of  this  movement  John  A.  G.  Da^ds  had  set- 
tled there  as  law-professor — an  evangelical  Episcopalian,  and 
a  truly  holy  man.  He  was  of  great  value  to  the  religious 
interests  until  his  murder.  He  recognized  the  importance 
of  such  students  as  Sampson,  and  asked  Dr.  "White  if  Pres- 
byterian families  would  not  send  more  such,  expressing  his 
opinion  that  the  Universit}^  would  do  well  to  give  them  their 
tuition  gratis  to  get  them.  From  about  that  time  'candi- 
dates' have  been  free. 

"Dr.  McGuffey  came  about  1845,  I  think.  I  soon  made 
his  acquaintance.  He  said  to  me  once,  remarking  on  his 
bemg  an  utter  stranger  in  Virginia,  that  he  was  very  in- 
quisitive and  anxious  about  what  manner  of  man  the  Pres- 
byterian pastor  in  Charlottesville  should  be,  because  he  knew 
that  his  comfort  and  success  would  depend  very  much  on 
that.  He  added  that  he  had  found  Dr.  White  just  the  man 
after  his  own  heart,  who  had  given  him  the  noblest  welcome, 
and  always  held  up  his  hands  wisely  and  staunchly. 

"Dr.  McGuffey  began  with  great  discretion.  His  reputa- 
tion had  been  exclusively  a  Western  one.  It  was,  to  a  good 
degree,  through  the  representations  of  Dr.  Landon  Rives,  of 
Cincinnati,  (where  Dr.  McGuffey  had  been  teacher  in  Wood- 
Tv'ard  College)  to  the  Hon.  WiUiam  C.  Rives,  visitor,  that  Dr. 
McGuffey  got  the  appointment.  It  was  a  surpiise  to  the 
Virginia  people.  Dr.  James  L.  Cabell  was  his  chief  com- 
petitor. Some  said,  '  "WTio  is  this  Yankee  ?  "  But  he  came 
on  the  scene  very  quietly  and  devoted  himself  the  first  ses- 
sion exclusivebj  to  establisliing  his  j)restige  as  an  able  teacher. 
(He  was  always  devoted  to  his  course  of  instruction.)     This 


282  Estimate  of  Character. 

he  did  triumphantly.  He  then  began  to  launch  out,  canvass- 
ing for  a  better  class  of  students,  from  Christian,  and  espe- 
cially from  Presbyterian,  f amihes.  He  j)reached  as  he  had  o-p- 
portunity  (being  scrupulously  punctual  at  every  lecture,  and 
his  vacations  were  devoted,  for  a  year  or  two,  to  canvassing 
tours  really ;  seemingly  to  public  addresses  on  education  and 
kindred  topics.  Wherever  he  was  invited,  there  he  would 
go,  speak,  form  the  acquaintance  of  Christian  parents,  etc. 
He  also  began  to  exert  a  Christian  influence  in  the  University 
by  Bible-class  instruction,  etc.,  but  especially/  in  his  lectures 
on  Moral  Philosophy. 

"Dr.  White  used  to  tell,  with  his  heartiest  relish,  a  story 
about  this  'new  departure'  of  Dr.  McGuifey,  which  bears 

too  hard  on  Professor to  be  repeated  abroad.     This 

latter,  and  it  seems  most  of  the  Faculty,  were  alarmed  at 

Dr.  McGuffey's  course.     One  evening met  Dr.  White, 

near  the  post-office  in  Charlottesville,  and  began  to  complain : 
'The  University  is  a  State  institution.  It  must  not  be  tar- 
nished with  sectarianism.  Dr.  McGuffey  is  compromising 
us  all  by  preaching,  etc.,  etc.  Dr.  White,  I  wish  you  would 
advise  yom'  brother  preacher  to  quit  preaching  altogether. 
He  owes  it  to  his  colleagues.  Why,  sir,  he  was  elected  here 
as  McGuffey,  LL.  D.  Had  we  known  he  was  a  clergyman, 
he  would  never  have  been  elected ! '  Meantime,  Mr  Valen- 
tine Southall  had  joined  the  group.  (He  was  a  lawyer,  not 
a  church-member,  though  his  wife  was;  commonwealth's 
attorney,  ^^olitician,  etc.  He  w^as  remarkable  for  a  crow- 
black  roach,  dark  skin,  black,  heavy  eye-brows,  gruff  voice, 

and  very  positive  air.)     Mr.  ,  relying  on  him  as  a 

secular  man,  appealed  to  him  for  support.  *Mr.  Southall, 
don't  you  think  Dr.  McGuffey  ought  to  demit  the  pulpit  ? ' 
Dr.  '\Miite  used  to  repeat  the  answer  with  infinite  glee. 
Knitting  his  bushy  brow  and  working  his  raven's  roach,  as 
a  horse  does  his  mane  when  a  fly  bites,  he  repHed,  with  the 
most  intense  dogmatism:  *No,  sir;  I  think  no  such  thing! 


Estimate  of  Ch.\racter.  233 

I  do  uot  profess,  like  you,  to  be  a  Christian,  but  Virginia  is 
a  Cliristiau  community.  I  know  the  necessity  of  the  influ- 
ences of  this  religion;  it  is  for  want  of  them  that  your  Vui- 
versity  is  in  danger  of  going  to  the  devil.  Pity  but  a  good 
many  more  of  you  were  like  Dr.  McGuffey — good  preachers; 
then  the  sensible,  prudent  parents  in  Virginia  would  have 

more  confidence  in  your  institution.'     Professor was 

so  utterly  taken  aback  that  he  turned  pale  and  trembled 
with  excitement,  but  added  nothing. 

"Now  I  always  regarded  Dr.  AMiite  and  Dr.  McGuffey  co- 
laborers  in  the  work  of  changing  the  godless  character  of 
the  University.  Dr.  AVhite's  two  chaplaincies  w^ere  of  great 
value.  His  influence  with  the  Faculty  was  always  for  good. 
Ke  gave  a  new  impulse,  by  his  school  and  pastoral  labors, 
to  vital  godliness  in  all  that  neighborhood  and  country,  and 
this  reacted.  He  prudently  and  cpiietly  sought  opportuni- 
ties to  bring  the  students  acquainted  with  leading  ministers 
by  getting  them  to  his  pulpit  and  to  the  University — for  in- 
stance, Dr.  Plumer  to  deliver  a  Bible  society  address  at  the 
commencement  in  1841  at  the  anniversary  of  a  Union  Bible 
Society  which  he  had  mainly  gotten  uj).  Above  all.  Dr. 
"White  exerted  a  constant  and  genial  influence  on  the  pious 
students,  whether  chaplain  or  not.  His  study  was  always 
open  to  them. 

"I  will  recall  another  incident  of  his  earlier  ministry 
which  had  much  to  do  in  shaping  his  final  com'se.  About 
the  time  Dr.  White  was  preaching  in  Scottsville,  a  discus- 
sion was  had  in  the  Richmond  Presb^'terian  paper  (then  Dr. 
Converse's)  known  as  the  '  Aliquis  Discussion  '  Several 
ministers  wrote  under  this  signature,  of  whom  Dr.  "White 
was  one.  Their  object  was  to  argue  the  detriment  to  pas- 
toral character  and  activities  of  a  secuhir  occupation.  Some 
went  so  far  as  to  say  that  it  was  a  breach  of  ordination  vows, 
and  that  no  minister  ought  to  accept,  and  no  Presbytery 


284  Estimate  of  Chakacter. 

sanction,  any  call  "which  laid  the  minister  liable  to  such  sec- 
ular labor  in  any  event.  They  were  replied  to  with  a  good 
deal  of  asperity,  as  by  Dr.  Stanton,  pastor  of  the  College 
Church  at  Hampden  Sidney.  Dr.  AYhite  never  went  to 
extremes.  Pretty  soon  his  opponents  said  that  he  well  illus- 
trated the  impracticability  of  the  *  Ali(]uis  theory '  by  im- 
mersing himself  in  a  large  school.  Now,  when  the  Lexing- 
ton call  came  in  1848,  enabling  him  to  devote  himself 
exclusively  to  the  ministry,  he  told  me  that  a  prominent 
reason  for  accepting  was  his  j^earning  to  get  rid  of  secular 
employment.  '  Yes,  sir"  said  he,  '  I  have  verified  in  my  own 
ex2:)erience  the  justice  of  the  more  moderate  views  of  us 
''Ahquis"  men.  Secular  occupation  is  a  bane  to  a  pastor. 
It  disperses  his  energies,  secularizes  his  heart,  and  cripples 
his  ministry.' 

"I  will  close  with  a  stor}'  on  the  Cohees.  Meeting  Dr. 
White  after  he  had  been  in  Lexington  a  year,  I  asked  him 
how  he  Hked  them.  He  remarked  upon  the  habitual  cau- 
tion, often  over-caution,  of  the  Scotch-Irish  character;  he 
found  the  Lexington  session  and  people  deficient  in  aggres- 
sive boldness  for  Christ ;  the  community  was  in  name  almost 
all  Presbyterian ;  all  nominally  on  the  side  of  order  and 
righteousness;  yet  flagrant  vice  abounded.  He  said:  *I 
just  lay  quiet  for  a  couple  of  months  until  I  could  "  take  my 
bearings  "  well.  Then  I  asked  for  a  full  meeting  of  session 
to  consider  the  interests  of  Christ's  cause  in  general.  So 
they  all  assembled,  and  wished  to  know  what  the  business 
was.  I  made  them  a  talk,  and  I  began  about  thus :  "AVcll, 
brethren,  j^ou  have  a  noble  church  here,  etc.  But  I  must 
say  that,  with  all  its  excellences,  your  community  is  in  one 
respect  the  queerest  I  ever  lived  in.  God's  people  have  the 
reins  in  their  own  hands,  yet  they  let  the  devil  do  the  driv- 
ing." *     Didn't  that  wake  up  the  elders  ?  R.  L.  D." 


wm 


